The Things That Bind Us Together
by Isabella GL
Summary: Did you ever wonder what would have happened to Holly and Roger if there had been no rape? No shooting, no trial, no Santo Domingo...no Blake! Without that tortured past, would they still be as drawn to each other? Would they still share that special bond?
1. Prologue

Did you ever wonder what would have happened to Holly and Roger if there had been no rape? No shooting, no trial, no Santo Domingo...no Blake?! Without that tortured past, would they still be as drawn to each other? Would they still share that special bond?

This is my take on what could have happened between them. This story takes place in an alternate universe, so be aware that, while some things are like in the real show, I have changed many dates and events from their past. This means that relationships between several characters have been altered accordingly. Don't be surprised, for example, if some people don't hate each other as they used to!

I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope that you will enjoy reading it!

And for those who are reading "The Other Life of Holly Lindsey", I'll try to get back to it after this one.

* * *

**Prologue**

Springfield, late August 1970

Roger rang the bell at the Norrises' house and nervously ran one of his hands through his jet black hair. He then looked at the roses he had brought for Holly and sighed for the third time since he had bought them; he really should have gotten a bigger bouquet.

He knew that he hadn't always been the perfect boyfriend since they had started seeing each other earlier that summer, but all of that was about to change. After all, he was 22 years-old and it was about time he started acting a little more seriously when it came to love.

Love. Could it really be the feeling that had taken over him in the last few weeks? The feeling that had led him to finally make love to Holly for the first time the night before? Oh, he had tried to get her into bed a couple of times already, but she had known better than to fall into his arms. She was only nineteen and wanted her first time to be special, with a man who truly loved her.

She must have sensed the change in him, because when he had brushed his lips against hers, only hours ago, she had not pushed him away after a few minutes like she usually did. In fact, she had been the one who had pushed things further, clumsily unbuttoning his shirt and sliding the straps of her dress off her sun kissed shoulders. He had done his best not to hurt her and, although it hadn't been the first time for him, it had definitely been the sweetest.

Roger would have happily replayed the whole night in his mind, standing on the porch, when Thomas, the butler, finally opened the door, sporting a pompous expression.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Thorpe?"

"Hi, Thomas! I'm here to see Holly," Roger replied, brandishing the roses under the man's nose.

"I'm afraid that will not be possible; Miss Norris has left to Europe earlier today," Thomas said impassively.

Roger thought he had not heard right. "There must be a mistake; she never said anything about going to Europe!"

"And yet, there she went."

The young man fought the urge to shove the flowers down the butler's throat. "Well, when is she coming back?"

"I'm afraid I couldn't tell you; she's starting college in Switzerland in a few days.

Roger almost dropped the bouquet on the ground, still trying to grasp the meaning of Thomas' words. Surely Holly wouldn't have left him without at least saying goodbye? Not after what had just happened between them?

Seeing Roger's distress, Thomas finally took pity on him and added: "I think that Mr. Norris was the one who had insisted that she should leave at once."

"Better that than hanging out with me, right?" Roger blurted out bitterly, the truth finally dawning out on him. Holly's father, also his employer, had first insisted that Roger dated his daughter to get her out of his hair. Since the previous week, however, he couldn't wait to get her away from him, and Roger knew exactly why.

"Can you at least tell me where she is?" he added hurriedly, seeing that Thomas was about to close the door.

"All I know is that she will be attending the University of Geneva…but you didn't hear it from me."

Once alone, Roger stood on a porch for another five minutes, still dumbfounded. Then a pain slowly arose in his chest, clawing at his heart and making him wince. Holly was gone.


	2. A lifetime later

Springfield, June 1993.

Roger was sitting on the patio at the Country Club, waiting for his next meeting. He glanced at his watch, hoping that his prospective client would not be late. His schedule was simply hectic since he had decided to open a new branch in Springfield a few months ago.

He smoothed his gray silk suit with one hand while skimming trough his notes with the other. It would be quite a coup if he succeeded in becoming the sole computer supplier of Springfield's local television station, WSPR. He would then be able to use this as a solid recommendation for bigger clients, such as Lewis Oil and Spaulding Enterprises.

Not that he was in dire need of new business; the IT Company that he had founded six years ago in New York, BlueHorizon, was doing extremely well. In the last two years only, he had established two branches in Chicago and San Francisco. The demand for computers, whether personal or commercial, was on the rise, and Roger expected it to continue to grow for the next couple of decades. He had witnessed first-hand the incredible power of this new technology while working with the CIA, and had immediately been determined to benefit from its business potential. His gamble had paid off; his company was on its way of becoming a household name in the country. The only thing missing for him was to finally make it in his hometown, and that was what he intended to do in the next months, starting with WSPR. His vice-president was the one that had been scheduled to meet with the co-owner of the station, but at the last minute, Roger had decided to step in to ensure that BlueHorizon would close the deal. All he had to do now was to convince this Holly Lindsey person.

His mind drifted to Holly Norris, or his Holly as he still called her, as it never failed whenever he saw or heard that particular name. The one that got away, he thought with a bitter-sweet smile. He wondered if she had ever gotten back to town after studying in Geneva. She had never replied to any of his letters, even the ones he had sent directly to her school so that her father would not be able to intercept them. After a year, he had heard that she was engaged to some French young man studying engineering and he had finally given up. He had met the woman who would become his wife a couple of months later while visiting a friend at Cedars' hospital and the new couple had promptly moved to New York to start their new life.

Sweet nurse Peggy Fletcher! She had made him happy, at least for a while. He was afraid that the same could not be said about him. He was much too eager to make it in the business world and much too reckless to be a good and attentive husband. After one illicit business deal too many, Peggy finally had enough and filed for divorce. It was then that CIA agents had recruited him, having heard of him through their mutual shady contacts, and finally putting his ambition and intuition to better use. The Agency had inculcated him discipline and a sense of responsibility; it had made him into a more reliable man, a better man. Those had been harsh and lonely years, but he was still reaping the benefits from this experience.

Glancing at his watch again, Roger sighed and got up to inquire inside if his dinner date was not by any chance waiting for him at another table. The dining room being empty, he stopped by the bar on his way out to order a glass of red wine. While waiting for his drink, he felt more than he acknowledged a presence behind him, until he heard a silky female voice asking the Maître D' where she could find Mr. Jack Simpson's table. Jack Simpson being the name of his vice-president, Roger turned around to welcome the woman who he was supposed to meet; accidently brushed his arm against hers as he did so.

The static shock they felt upon touching made them both cry out in surprise, and it was not after a few seconds that Roger finally looked up to see Holly Lindsey. He blinked several times, unable to form one coherent thought, let alone sentence, while Holly, his Holly, was quickly turning a deep shade of crimson.

"Roger? Is that really you?" she finally asked, being the first to regain some of her composure.

"Yes! YOU're Holly Lindsey?" he finally managed to blurt out.

She only nodded, obviously still trying to make sense of what was happening. She then looked around, as if snapping back to reality, and said: "I'm here to meet somebody, but..."

"I'm the one you're supposed to meet with. Jack Simpson is the vice-president of my company, but I decided to come instead. This is incredible! I can't believe that it's really you!" Roger exclaimed enthusiastically, pure joy finally taking over all the others emotions conflicting in his heart.

He led her to their table outside and pulled a chair for her. "So you're the president of BlueHorizon?" Holly asked after being seated. "I didn't see your name in the proposal."

"Yes, I prefer to stay low-key. I really believe that it's a team effort, not a one-man show."

"Is that the truth or are you just saying that to impress a future client?" she asked.

Roger grinned and shook his head. "Can't put one pass you, can I?" He watched her for a few seconds, slightly dazzled by the sight of her, and then repeated: "I still can't believe it. How long has been? Twenty-two years?"

"Almost twenty-three. We're not getting any younger, I'm afraid," she said, glancing at his gray hair with an inscrutable expression. "Shall we get down to business?" she added coolly after a few seconds.

Roger nodded, too taken aback by her request to protest. He found it hard to believe that she had become so indifferent that she would not be interested in what he had been up to in the last twenty years. He could see that she was deadly serious, however, so he reluctantly opened his file and started to outline what BlueHorizon could do for WSPR.

As they discussed the proposal, Holly seemed to become more at ease, even allowing herself to smile at some of Roger's comments. As for him, he answered her questions concisely, but was finding it extremely hard to focus on the business at hand. Her face, her voice, and the way she moved; all of this was threatening to mesmerize him. He soon realized that the pretty and naive girl of his youth was no more; she had made way for this self-assured, witty and, in his eyes, devastatingly beautiful woman. Gone were the summer dresses and the freckled cheeks; her slender body was now clad in a classic dark business suit which only a pair of blood red pumps prevented from being too serious. Roger stared at her admiringly while she was studying his document. He was floored; there was no other accurate way to describe what he was feeling.

She raised her eyes to clarify a particular point when her attention was attracted by someone at the other end of the patio. "Excuse me," she told Roger before getting up.

His eyes followed her as she crossed the terrace to join a tall young man, who, upon seeing her, hugged her so hard that her feet left the grown. Her face was suddenly illuminated by a smile, causing Roger's breath to catch in his throat. The two exchanged a few words before Holly came back to her place.

"I am sorry, I had to talk to my son for a few seconds," Holly explained as she sat back down.

Roger's eyes immediately zeroed in on Holly's left hand, which was bare. "I figured you had been married, given your new name."

"Twice, actually. Ethan, my son, is from my first marriage with Ed Bauer."

"I see. Do you have other children?" Roger asked.

Holly only shook her head, obviously desirous to return to less personal territories, only this time, Roger would not give up so easily.

"I think I recall Ed Bauer. He's a doctor, right? When were you married to him?"

"We started dating right after I came back from college, in 1973," she said, averting her eyes. "And if you must know, we got a divorce some eight years later."

"So you've been in Springfield all this time," Roger said, looking intently into her eyes.

"Mostly, yes, but I returned in Switzerland for several years, which is where I met my second husband, Dietrich.

"Any third husband somewhere?"

"Oh no. Dietrich cured me of this ridiculous urge I had to tie the knot."

Roger laughed at her frown. "I didn't know you for a cynic!"

"Life will do that to you," she replied gravely.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Not that you asked, but I have a daughter myself, named Jessica. She's nineteen, which must be about your son's age, I would say?"

"Yes, he will turn twenty in December."

"Jessica's mother is Peggy Fletcher. Surely you remember Peggy? Anyway, Jess just enrolled at Springfield University and she's going to be living with me for as long as I stay here. Her mother is living in New York and has remarried several years ago."

Holly smiled at the proud father, but, to his disappointment, didn't offer any more information about her life. She looked at her watch and started gathering her papers.

"I wish I could stay and catch up," she said, clearly not meaning it, "but I have another appointment for which I'm already late. I have to say though that your offer is really interesting. I'll have to discuss it with my partner, but from the looks of things, I'd say that BlueHorizon is the best contender so far. We'll let you know this week."

"Okay. Jack will take the project back from now on. But you can call me for any questions that you might have."

"Excellent," Holly said.

He watched her walk away, wondering if their path would ever cross again. She had not shown any signs that she would like to see him again. Maybe it was better to let the sleeping dogs lie after all.


	3. New Bonds

"Honey? Are you home?" Roger called out to his daughter as he came back to his downtown apartment. He dropped his briefcase next to the door and hanged his jacket on a nearby chair.

"I'm here!" Jessica replied, emerging from her bedroom. Blond-haired and blue-eyed, she had inherited her mother's good looks, as well as her gentle and caring nature. She also had a steely determination and very high expectations from life, in which she very much resembled her father. He was convinced that she was the best combination of both her parents, and his pride was endless when it came to her.

"Come here," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead. "What have you been up to this morning?"

"Studying, as always. What about you?

"Nothing much, a business meeting with a potential client."

"Did it go like you wanted?" She looked at him more attentively. "You look rattled."

His daughter was one of the very few people who could read him like an open book. He smiled and sat on the couch, rubbing his face. "Well, if you must know, it turned out that this potential client is an ex-girlfriend of mine. She had changed her name since then, so I had no idea until we met face to face. I'll admit it was something a shock to see her again!"

"Why? Has she become fat and ugly?"

"Quite the contrary," he replied.

She sat next to him and fluffed his hair in a playful manner. "Oh, I see! You're still pinning after her, aren't you?" she asked half-jokingly.

"Don't be silly," he answered, unable to stop blushing.

She peered at him more closely and exclaimed: "Oh my god! I was just joking, but I was dead on, wasn't I?"

"No! I mean, she was my first love, and all that, but it's all in the past."

"And it better stay there, if you know what I mean. Now is the not the time to go running after some old flame of yours," she said, wagging a finger in his face.

"Yes, darling, I know what you mean!" he said, falsely annoyed by her concerned expression.

She got up and headed to her room. "We're still on for tonight, right? Dinner at the Towers?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Of course we are."

"Great! And remember, I want you to be extra nice to my boyfriend. He really wants to make a good first impression on you, so give him a break, alright?"

"Not if he's a loser, I won't."

"Are you questioning my ability to pick a good boyfriend by any chance?"

"I wouldn't dare!"

* * *

"If he's not here in two minutes, then he will officially be late. You know how I hate it when people aren't punctual," Roger said to his daughter a few hours later, as they waited for her boyfriend to join them for dinner.

"Dad, don't start, alright? He'll be here."

"Wake me up when he does," he replied teasingly, taking a sip of his drink.

Jessica only grunted in reply and looked again at the entrance of the restaurant, wishing that her boyfriend would indeed get there already. She suddenly smiled and poked her father in the ribs. "There he is."

Roger turned around to meet the newcomer and for the second time that day, found himself at a loss for words. Facing him, all smiles, was Holly's son.

* * *

"Dad, are you ok?" Jessica asked, alarmed by her father's lack of color.

The conversation was taking place minutes later on the terrace, where they had all gone so that Roger could get some fresh air.

"I'm fine, Jessie, I was just surprised to realize that Ethan here was the son of that friend of mine I was telling you about."

"You know my father?" Ethan asked, nonplussed.

"Your mother, actually. I hadn't seen her in more than twenty years before I ran into her today. And now I found out that her son is dating my daughter…Talk about coincidences!" Roger said, slightly spooked.

Jessica frowned, recollecting their earlier conversation. "Wait, you mean that Ethan's mother is that ex-girlfriend of yours? How romantic! Or bizarre, I'm not sure," she added, laughing.

"You dated my mother?" Ethan asked, also unable to decide if the situation was indeed endearing or just plain weird.

"It was his first love," Jessica said before her father could answer. "Hey! I have a great idea. We were supposed to have dinner with her tomorrow night, but why don't you give her a call and invite her over?" she asked Ethan.

"Sure, why not? You don't mind, do you, Mr. Thorpe?"

"Of course not, I'll be glad to see her again," Roger said, more sincere than he had been in a long time.

* * *

Meanwhile, Holly was curled up on her couch in her house by the river, staring emptily at the television. Her eyes were red and her body still shaken by fits of sobbing. She hadn't been able to stop crying since her meeting with Roger Thorpe.

She hadn't cried this much, except maybe one time, since that fateful morning, twenty-three years ago, when her father had burst into her room, ordering her to pack her bags and to be ready to leave at once for Europe. She had pleaded and begged with him, but to no avail. She was to leave the same day, without saying goodbye to that good-for-nothing, as Stanley called Roger.

"You think that he loves you? This guy is a liar, and furthermore, he's useless. I should know: he used to work for me," her father had told her, unmoved by the tears streaming down her face.

"You can tell me what to do!" Holly had replied in a pathetic attempt to defy her almighty father.

"Watch me," he had simply said before leaving her alone. She had known then that she had lost. Once her luggage was done, her father had her escorted to the airport, leaving her no means of escape.

The craziest thing, she thought as she wiped her tears with the hem of her pyjama top, was that her father had been right after all: Roger had never loved her. He had used her to try and get ahead in her father's company. There was a moment, at the end of the summer, when she had thought his feelings for her were changing, but she had been given the proof a few months later that, while she was still pining after him, Roger had speedily and definitely moved on. She thought of that newspaper clipping showing him at the arm of a black-haired woman; she had looked at it so often that it had left a print on her brain.

"And now he shows up and expects us to be buddies and to reminisce about the good old days?" she said out loud, punching the nearest cushion. "Not happening."

But despite her determined tone, confusion was raging inside her heart, and that she should get such an intense reaction after all these years astounded her. She had never felt this overwhelmed by the desire to see someone again in her entire life. Was it the need for closure, or something more? She was still debating the question when the phone rang.

"Mom! You'll never guess what!" Ethan yelled when she picked up the receiver.

"What is it, sweetie? Are you okay? You sound out of breath."

"You know that Jess was introducing me to her father tonight, right?"

"Yes," Holly answered, wondering what her son's point was.

"Turns out you know each other. His name is Roger Thorpe."

Holly almost dropped the receiver and sat down on the couch, her heart rate suddenly going to the roof. What fresh hell was this?

"Mom? Are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm here," she retorted in a feeble voice, aware that she should comment on her son's news but finding herself unable to say more.

"Anyway, Jess and I would really like it if you could join us for dinner tonight instead of tomorrow. Then you and Roger can catch up. It'll be fun!"

Holly made a supreme effort to find her normal voice, and then said: "Not tonight, Ethan, I have other plans."

"Come on! Don't be such a stick in the mud! Besides, I could really use some cheering over here. This guy is pretty impressive."

Holly sighed, thorn between fear and desire, and a little pride too. It might be her only occasion to convince Roger Thorpe that she had moved on. "Fine. Give me half-an-hour."


	4. A Family Outing

Holly showed up at the Towers a little while later, wearing a sea foam green sleeveless dress, cinched at the waist by a small silver belt. Before going in the restaurant, she looked at her reflection in the mirror one last time and tossed back her auburn curls nervously. All traces of tears were gone, and she was almost convinced that she would be able to make it trough dinner without breaking down. She owed it to her son to be as gracious as possible to his new girlfriend, even in those bizarre circumstances.

Roger had been watching for her arrival, and he was once again blown away by her loveliness. He did his best, however, not to stare at her too admiringly. After all, this was Jessica and Ethan's night, and certainly not a date between Holly and him, he reminded himself.

Holly crossed the room and reached their table, where she took the empty seat between Roger and Jessica. After all the introductions were made, Roger steered the conversation towards the new lovebirds.

"So, I gather you're in medical school like Jessie?" he said, turning to Ethan.

"Exactly. My dad is a doctor, and so is my half-brother Rick. I'd say it runs in the family."

"Ethan takes after the Bauers on most points," Holly confirmed, "even physically."

With light brown hair and blue eyes, her handsome son indeed looked much more like a Bauer than a Norris.

"I do hope thought that I inherited from some of your qualities," Ethan winked at his mother. He turned back to Roger and added: "Jessica and I met the first day of class in January and we've been study partners since then."

"I hope there is still some studying going on now that you two are dating!" Roger exclaimed sternly.

Ethan nodded emphatically. "Of course, I'd never interfere with your daughter's studies, sir."

Jessica intervened before Ethan could say more. "My dad is messing with you, Ethan. He knows I can't take care of myself."

Ethan caught sight of Roger's smile and beamed in return, relieved. The four continued to converse animatedly trough the rest of the meal, talking about the prospects of the young couple, and Roger was able to observe his ex-lover at leisure. The shock of seeing her again was gradually waning, and he could discern, underneath Holly's polite finish, that the buoyant girl of his twenties was still alive after all. She would appear in flashes, bursting in laughter when her son said something particularly funny, or tapping her feet on the floor when the orchestra played a catchy song.

He was particularly thrilled that she seemed to hit it off with his daughter, asking for her opinion on different subjects and making sure that she felt included in the conversation. He did the same with Ethan, and was pleased to discover a laid-back but still responsible and driven young man. It might be too soon to tell, but he would not be surprised if the two young people's relationship turned into something serious. That would mean he would be thrown in Holly's company much more often from now on, a prospect that definitely lifted his spirits.

"So, we still haven't talked about you guys!" Jessica said after dessert, looking at Roger and Holly.

"I'm afraid there is not that much to tell," Holly answered as casually as she could.

"Not much to tell? You were my father's first love, I think it's fascinating!" Jessica cried out, looking at Holly admiringly. She had been struck by Holly's beauty from the start, and thought the whole situation was extremely romantic.

"First love? Is that what I was?" Holly said, turning to Roger sarcastically. Before Roger could answer, the orchestra began to play a ballad and Ethan rose from his chair, extending his hand to Jessica.

"This is our song! Would you do me the honor?" he said, taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor.

Left alone, Roger and Holly avoided each other's gaze awkwardly for a few seconds, until Roger gathered up the courage to ask her for a dance. "For old times' sake." Holly looked at him for a few seconds before taking his hand and following him on the dance floor. They faced each other for a split second before Roger tentatively glided a hand around her slender waist and pulled her toward him as close as he dared. Holly looked pass his shoulder, feeling his eyes on her but too flustered to return his gaze.

They slowly danced in silence for a while, Holly trying to calm down the furious beating of her heart, while Roger concentrated on the feeling of holding her in his arms again after so long. Her scent, which was precisely the same after all these years, still managed to drive him crazy. He cleared his throat and tried to collect his wits. "Why did you sneer when my daughter said that you were my first love? You might not feel the same way about me, but it's still the truth, you know."

Holly tilted her head back and their eyes met. He had it all backwards, she thought. "You didn't seem to mind that I had to leave to Switzerland," she finally said.

"Not mind! I was going nuts trying to get in touch with you!" Roger said, stopping abruptly and raising his voice in astonishment. People around them stared curiously, which caused Holly to pull Roger back to her.

"Please, this is hardly the place to discuss this. Besides, it was a long time ago. Let's just try to get along for our children's sake, okay?"

"Fine," Roger said, determined however to discuss the matter again as soon as he had the chance. Something was off in her story, and he wouldn't rest until he knew what it was. "So, have you given any thought to BlueHorizon's proposal?" he inquired after a minute, changing the subject.

"Not yet, but soon," she replied.

"Our computers are some of the more reliable on the market, and I'm not just saying that to bullshit you. Do you have a computer at home?"

"No. I wouldn't know what to do with it!"

"Well, you could work from home, for starters. We also make personal computers at BlueHorizon. Why don't I come buy your place and install one? I could show you how it works."

Holly shook her head.

"It won't be necessary, really, Roger..."

"It's really no bother at all! Besides, it might help my case for WSPR," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Holly looked at him, trying to determine his motives for wanting to see her again. Was he trying to get her into bed, or was he just being friendly? Or, she was simply reading too much into it? Chances were he was just trying to close the deal between their two businesses.

"Fine," she finally agreed. "You can come by tomorrow afternoon if you want, unless you mind working on a Saturday?"

"Not at all! So, it's a date."

"No, Roger, it's NOT a date."

"Whatever," he said, grinning.

* * *

Later that night, Jessica and Ethan were sitting in the latter's bedroom, discussing the events of the evening.

"I think it went well, don't you? Ethan asked, caressing Jessica's hair.

"It was perfect! I could tell that my father was impressed by you, and I think that your mother liked me too. I know liked her, even though she's pretty intimidating. You didn't tell me that she was that smart, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous!" his girlfriend replied, hitting him on the arm.

"I don't think about her that way, she's my mom!" He paused and then added: "You know who else likes her? Your dad!"

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious that he still has a big crush on her," Jessica admitted.

"And she on him, even if she doesn't want to show it."

"Wouldn't it be cool if they ended up together, thought?"

Ethan shook his head. "Jess, your dad is married. He better not start fooling around with my mom's heart, no matter what his feelings are!" Ethan said, getting cranked up at the idea of someone hurting his mother.

"I know, I know, I was just daydreaming! He wouldn't do that to Susan."

"Where is she anyway?"

"Still in New York, but who knows, she might drop in on us any day now."

"You don't seem to like your step-mother very much."

Jessica thought for a second before answering. "She's okay, I guess. I'm just not sure she's right for Dad. Your mother seems much nicer," she concluded with a smile.

"That goes without saying."


	5. Compute This!

Holly was up early the next day, scrubbing her house like never before. It was the only thing that she could think of to calm down before Roger showed up. She was just throwing her last sponge away when the bell rang. She held the door for Roger, who was carrying a big box which he dropped on the coffee table.

"Where do you want this?" he asked, slightly out of breath.

Holly pointed at a desk standing in a corner of her living room, covered with papers. "Over there will be fine, I guess."

Roger started to unpack the material, looking around. "You've got yourself a very nice house, Holly! It smells wonderful in here." Holly nodded and thought to herself that it ought to, given how violently she had cleaned it.

She crossed over to the kitchen to get glasses of water, and Roger turned around to watch her go. She decidedly looked good in everything, he reflected, taking in her faded jeans and her white man shirt.

She came back and put his glass on the table while he heaved the computer on her desk. "Why do computers have to be so…beige?" she asked with a disgusted pout.

Roger frowned in surprise, and then started laughing. "Good question! I guess it's because it's cheaper to make them all the same color, but I'll definitely have to look into this!" He picked up the keyboard and told her to sit tight while he put the computer together.

It took half an hour before he finally called her back into the living room and invited her to sit at her desk. "It's all ready, let me show you it goes," he said, posting himself behind her. "You'll have to learn to use this first," he added, pointing at the mouse.

She picked it up, clearly nonplussed, and waited for his instructions. He smiled and covered her hand with his, putting the mouse back on the pad. His touch sent a shiver through Holly's body, and she retrieved her hand and got up.

"I think I can manage from here," she said, taking a few steps toward the door.

Roger sighed. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you."

"You didn't startle me."

"If you say so. I just don't understand why you're being so distant with me. You act as if nothing ever happened between us."

Holly smiled and tried to make light of the subject. "It's been such a long time, Roger, that it really doesn't matter anymore what did or did not happen."

Roger stared at her in disbelief. "It matters to me!"

Anger finally crept up in Holly's eyes and she raised her hands to her head in frustration.

"Seriously, Roger, you can drop the lovelorn act now. It's getting old."

"Why do you keep saying it's an act? You don't know how much I suffered when you wouldn't answer my letters!"

"What letters?"

"The zillion letters that I sent you the first year you were in Switzerland. You could've replied to at least one, you know; even if just to ask me to leave you alone."

"Roger, I have no clue what you're talking about. I never got any letters."

"Then who got them? Roger asked, and they both immediately thought of her father. It would have been easy for him to intercept any correspondence addressed at her home or school, since he watched her like a hawk. Still, she was skeptical. "What about that woman that you started seeing right after I left, Elizabeth Grey," she said, still vividly remembering the newspaper clipping her maid had shown her a few weeks after her arrival in Switzerland.

Roger stared at her blankly for a few seconds. Then he remembered who she was referring to and shook his head emphatically. "I wasn't seeing her, she was just a friend, who happened to be very supportive during that time, might I add."

"I saw a picture of you dancing with her at some ball."

"Yes, I bet your father made sure of that, but what does that prove? It didn't say that we were engaged, did it? We were just dancing, for Christ's sake! What else did he tell you?"

Holly swallowed hard, trying to remember. "He said you were a liar, that you never loved me. He said you told everyone in Springfield that you were glad that I was finally out of your hair." Her voice caught in her throat and she stopped.

"Oh, Holly!" Roger answered softly.

She turned away from him, her mind racing. She knew that her father was good at manipulating people, but she never thought that he would stoop so low as to deliberately make his daughter miserable. She suddenly buried her face in her hands.

"Oh, my god! I feel so stupid! I can't believe I fell for it!"

Something caught in Roger's throat, halfway between a sob and a sigh. What a waste her father had created!

He walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You were very young, Holly, and he was your father. Don't blame yourself for this. He's the one that did something wrong."

"But why? What was it to him if we saw each other?"

Roger led her to the couch and sat beside her. "I think I know. I guess it's no news to you that when it came to business, your father wasn't very clean?"

Holly nodded; her illusions about her father long gone.

"I haven't always been sparkling white myself, but I know the difference between right and wrong, and I draw the line at some things. But your father didn't; he asked me to do something while I was working for him, and when I refused, he fired me."

"What was it?"

"He asked me to kill somebody who was standing in his way to a good deal."

A horrified expression spread over Holly's features. "And then he got afraid that I would tell you, so he made sure that we never saw each other again."

Holly got up again and started pacing across the living room. "I hate him! He's dead and I still hate him! I can't believe the heartache he willingly put me through, when he knew…"

"When he knew what?" Roger asked, his pulse quickening.

She turned around and looked him in the eyes. "When he knew that I loved you."

"I loved you too."

They both looked at each other in silence for a moment, both overcome by feelings they didn't dare to name. Then Holly tried to shake the awkwardness off by replying: "Not at first, you didn't. I know you only started seeing me because my father asked you to."

Roger coloured but didn't try to deny it. "Guilty. But you know that things were different by the time we spent that last night at Laurel Falls." It was Holly's turn to redden at the recollection. Roger walked up to her, standing so close that she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. "You do remember that night, don't you?" he whispered, his voice getting husky.

Before he knew what he was doing, he caught her in his arms and kissed her, holding on to her as if his life depended on it. Then, just as suddenly, he let her go and took a few steps back, in shock.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't presume…I mean I can't…I'd better go," he finally managed to blurt out incoherently.

He hastily made for the door, not looking back. Holly stayed where he had kissed her, rooted to the spot, her heart violently thudding in her chest. She was about to slump on the floor when the door swung opened again and Roger burst back in.

"Don't say anything, let me speak before I lose my nerve!" he said, pulling at his hair and pacing wildly across the room, making Holly afraid that he was indeed losing his mind.

He finally stopped and inhaled deeply. "I'm married. I pulled away because I'm married."


	6. Revelations

"You're what?" Holly asked, thinking she had heard wrong.

"Married." Roger dropped on the couch and asked her to join him. She sat next to him, twisting her hands unconsciously.

"Why didn't you say so yesterday?" She was speaking evenly, but she was more hurt that she wanted to admit.

"Because I didn't want you to know, and yes, I know that it was wrong of me. At first, I didn't see the point in telling you, since I was convinced that we'd never see each other again after our meeting. And then last night, I still didn't say anything because I was afraid that it would ruin my chances," he explained with a contrite expression.

"Ruin your chances of what? Of luring me into bed before I could find out that you were married?" she said incredulously.

Roger shook his head vehemently. "I'd never do that, Holly, that's why I pulled away from the kiss. I want more than that. You see, my marriage has been on shaky ground for a long time now. Susan and I have been living apart for more that a year and I'm not even wearing my ring anymore."

"What happened?" Holly asked, starting to breathe more easily.

"We met when I was at the CIA. She was a clerk there and..."

"You worked for the CIA? Are you messing with me?"

Roger laughed. "No, I really did, I was an agent for several years. Anyway, we met there, and it was a time in both our lives when everything was really exciting. She was young and beautiful; we feel in love. Unfortunately, when we got out a few years later, I quickly realized that we didn't have much in common beside our need for adventures. All she ever wants to do now is to drink champagne at lunch with her preppy friends and shop. I'm afraid she loves my money and my standing more than she loves me; although she doesn't see it that way. She absolutely refuses to talk about divorce, and since I had no urgent reason to settle the matter, I let it drag on. Until now, that is."

"What do you mean?" Holly said, though she had a pretty good idea of where he was heading.

"Do you know how violently and desperately attracted to you I still am?"

Holly rose from the couch, unsettled. "I don't think that we should be having this conversation, Roger, while you're with somebody else."

"But I want to have it! I need to tell you how I feel. I have been kidding myself all these years that I was over you, but I am not. I knew it as soon as I laid eyes on you yesterday afternoon. And I think, I KNOW, that you feel the same way. There is something binding us together, Holly, and I can't let go of you again."

He closed the distance between them and took her hands in his. Holly shut her eyes, her heart threatening to overflow. "This is all so sudden, Roger. I don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling right now!"

"How about elated, overjoyed, euphoric?" Roger said smilingly, brushing his lips on her forehead.

Holly extricated herself from his arms and took a few steps back. "How about you go back to New York and try to settle things one and for all with Susan, and then, when you're free, we can get to know each other again, and see how it goes?"

Roger melodramatically clutched at his heart and smiled. "Geez, Holly! Here I am, pouring my heart out to you, and you're talking about taking it slow?"

"I'm not nineteen anymore, Rog."

"Even then, you were never one to throw caution to the wind. You believe me, though, when I say that my marriage is really over? Are you still mad that I didn't tell you before?"

She shook her head gently. "I'm not mad. We all have our secrets, don't we?" she said in a small voice.

Roger failed to pick up on the sudden change in her expression, too engrossed in his immediate plans. "I have to leave tonight and talk to Susan as soon as possible. I'll call you when I get there, ok?" he said, heading for the door.

"Sure. Roger?"

He turned around, looking at her inquiringly.

"Nevermind. Have a good trip."

Once alone, she slowly went back to the couch, completely dazed by what had just happened. It seemed that her life had been turned outside down within just a few hours. Roger loved her, and it changed absolutely everything.

She hid her face in her hands, repressing a sob. She had never been in so much trouble in her entire life.


	7. The Time She Cried The Most

Three days later, Roger was standing in the living room of his apartment on Central Park West, gazing in the distance, beyond the trees, at the buildings rising on Fifth Avenue. He could almost see his wife's apartment from his vantage point.

He sighed and went to his mini-bar, pouring himself a scotch and loosening his tie. He had made absolutely no progress in convincing his wife to give him a divorce. Each time he tried to discuss it; she either burst into tears, yelled or threw things at him (preferably costly items). If he insisted on leaving her, she said, her lawyers would suck him dry. That meant losing control of BlueHorizon, his life work, and she knew that he would never agree to it, if only for the sake of his employees.

She has me by the balls and she knows it, Roger thought before draining his drink. What was worse, she had smelled the existence of another woman as soon as he came to see her three nights ago, which had made her even more furious and bitter. Now Roger's frustration was growing with each passing day, and he was starting to wonder if he was ever going to be able to extricate himself from this joke of a marriage.

He crossed over to the hall to call Holly on the phone, but was interrupted by the doorbell. He looked at his watch, frowning; it was almost midnight. Probably my dear wife, ready to fight some more, he assumed as he answered the door. He was therefore very surprised to find Holly, standing haggardly on the other side.

"Holly! What are you doing here? Are you ok?" he said, taking her bag and leading her to the living room.

"I came straight from the airport, I hope I'm not intruding," she replied, sounding exhausted.

"Of course not, in fact I was about to call you when you came in." He looked at her more closely and lifted her chin. "You don't look so good."

She sat down in an armchair while Roger fixed her a drink. "I haven't been sleeping that well in the last few days."

Roger turned around, concerned. "Because of me?"

"Well, yes, sort of." She swallowed hard and glanced at him, looking slightly panicked.

He crossed the room to hand her the drink and sat beside her. "You're beginning to scare me now. What's going on?"

"There's something that I have to tell you; something that I should have told you the other day."

Roger laughed nervously. "What? You're married too?"

She tried to laugh in return, but a strangled sob came out instead. "There was another reason, besides my dad, why I stayed so long in Switzerland."

"What reason? It's okay, you can tell me anything."

"I was pregnant."

* * *

It took Roger a couple of seconds to find his voice back. "With whose baby?" he said hoarsely.

A lone tear streamed down Holly's face. "Yours."

Roger leaned heavily back on the couch, feeling the blood draining form his face. "You got an abortion?"

"No. I gave it up."

"To who?"

"I don't know," she said, miserable.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" he suddenly yelled.

"I know that you're mad, but please just…"

"Mad? Mad doesn't begin to cover it! How could you not tell me about this?"

"I tried to tell you later, but I couldn't find you."

"Well, you should have tried harder," Roger shouted, almost suffocating with anger. Holly got up, wiping her tears away. "I can't talk to you if you're going to be this way, Roger. I better go."

"Oh, no! You don't get to leave now!"

She turned around abruptly, poking her finger in his chest. "I can do whatever I damn well please, and I won't stay here to be yelled at. You don't know anything about the situation. You have no idea what I went through," she said, also raising her voice.

Her outburst seemed to deflate his own rage somewhat, and he took a few steps back. "You're right. Please sit down, and tell me," he said, trying to control himself.

She looked at him warily and finally decided to sit back down on the couch, while he poured himself another scotch and went to sit by the window overlooking the park. Holly took a deep breath, clutch at her glass and began her story.

"When I found out that I was pregnant the fall after I left you, I was devastated. I thought you didn't care about me, and I was scared of raising a child by myself. I did considered getting an abortion, but before I could make up my mind, one of the maids realized that I was pregnant and told my dad. He was absolutely against me getting an abortion. Maybe he thought that being pregnant would prevent me from running back to you; I wouldn't put anything past him now. He decided that I should give it up, and made all the arrangements with an adoption agency."

She paused to take a sip of drink, and glanced at Roger, who kept staring resolutely out the window.

"A week before I was due, he sent me to this private clinic in St-Moritz. I was completely alone. I think that at some point, my mom suspected something when we talked on the phone, but he wouldn't let me tell her either. There was only one person that I could trust; it was a nurse from the clinic, Sarah. She was about my age and she took pity on me I suppose. I told her everything and when I decided that I would keep the baby anyway, she said that she would help me get out of there."

"You wanted to keep it?" Roger asked, still looking outside at the city lights.

"Yes, when it came down to it, I couldn't give it away, even if I thought that you'd want nothing to do with it. But I went into labor early, and the doctor gave me a sedative. I barely remember giving birth; they wouldn't even let me hold her before they took her away."

"Her?" Roger said in a trembling voice.

"Yes, it was a girl," Holly replied softly. "And I never saw her again. For weeks, I begged my father to tell me where she was, but he said that the agency had already found her a family and that she was gone for good. I never cried like I cried then, Roger. I was heartbroken. It took me months before I even considered going back to school, but what else could I do? There was nowhere else to go. There was nothing and no one waiting for be back home, or so I thought. So, little by little, I started living again and I tried to put it behind me. After a while, my dad started to cut me some slack, and that's when I first considered getting in touch with you. I thought that you deserved to know. I soon found out, however, that you were engaged to Peggy. Oh yes, I knew all about it!" she exclaimed bitterly.

"I convinced myself that it was better to leave you alone. I thought it would only cause trouble between you two, and for what? Our baby was gone. I guess you could say that there was my mistake, and maybe you would be right, but at the time, I really thought that it was for the best. So I dropped it, finished college and came back to Springfield. You had moved to New York by then, and I met and married Ed. Then life just went on and it all just faded into the background; I had Ethan and I started working at the journal. When my father died, though, it reopened all the old wounds, and I tried to find her again, and I tried to find you too, but it was as if you had both vanished into thin air."

"When was this?" Roger said, finally turning to face her.

"It must have been in 1983."

"I was with the Agency, that's why you couldn't find me."

They both stayed silent for a while; not a sound could be heard except the faint honking of the cars down below. "I'm not trying to excuse what I did, Roger. I cheated you out of a life with your child, and for that, I will always be sorry. I did try to find you, but I just couldn't. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me someday," Holly concluded, getting up.

She was almost at the door when Roger called her back.

"Don't go yet. I'm still mad, it's true, but I'm more mad at the situation, and Stanley, than I am at you."

A sigh of relief escaped her lips. "For years, I felt guilty and ashamed by my lack of courage. But telling you this, tonight, I realized how young and alone I was. I never stood a chance against Dad."

"No, I don't think you did."

"So, what now?" Holly asked, unsure if she should stay or go.

Roger went to his desk and pulled a pen and a notepad out of a drawer. "Now, you will tell me everything that you know about our daughter. Anything that could help us find her."

She looked up, not daring to hope that it was a possibility. "You think that there might me a chance? We have nothing to go on."

"Well, we won't know unless we try, right? And with my contacts at the Agency, I stand a much better chance than you ever did alone. So, go ahead, tell me what you do know."

"I gave birth to her on May 31, 1971. What was the name of the clinic again? Damn! It was a French name. Clinique prénatale de St-Moritz, that's it. It was in the mountains, very upscale, very private."

"What about the nurse that befriended you? What was her last name?"

"Sarah Goncourt. I never saw her again either, because my father had me rushed out of the clinic while I was still half out of it, and then I couldn't trace her when I tried. She might know something thought."

"Yes, I'm going to start with her. Hopefully she'll remember you."

Holly stared absently at the window, and Roger could tell her mind had gone back twenty-three years ago to that clinic. "If you find her," she finally said, "Tell her that I was the redhead who wanted to name her daughter Christina."


	8. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Holly slept alone in one of the guest rooms that night. She shouldn't mind, she thought as she was tossing and turning in her bed. After all, she was the one who had asked Roger to take things slowly. She now realized, however, that she did mind being treated as a simple guest. He hadn't laid a finger on her since she had revealed the existence of their child, and she feared that the revelation would end up permanently damaging their renewed and fragile relationship.

On the other side of the apartment, Roger was also in bed staring at the ceiling. A storm was raging inside him, making sleep impossible. He knew, rationally, that Holly had had no choice but to give up their baby; hell, it had practically been wrenched away from her. His mind understood it, but his heart still wouldn't. He felt cheated; he wasn't sure by whom, and seeing Holly only stirred up these conflicting emotions. They said that time healed all wounds, but Roger wasn't so sure that the old saying would prove true in this particular situation.

He had just turned off the light when there was a barely perceptible knock on the door. His heart skipped a beat.

"Yes?" he called out, swinging his legs outside the bed and sitting up. Holly came in cautiously, her robe tightly wrapped around her. Sadness and helplessness were painted all over her face as she kneeled in front of him.

"I know that I'm not your favorite person right now, but you're the only one that I can turn to, and I really, really need someone to help me get through tonight."

Roger swallowed the lump in his throat, wondering why she had to be so dawn beautiful. He reached for her hand and pulled her up, then moved aside so that she could lie on the bed beside him. He then put his left arm around her so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. They lied silently for hours, until they both finally fell asleep.

* * *

"You shouldn't have gone to so much trouble," Holly said to Jessica the next night, as they were all about to sit for dinner at Roger's apartment in Springfield. Jessica smiled nervously, starting to think the same. There was a tension in the room since Ethan and Holly had arrived, and she couldn't understand what caused it.

When her father had come back from New York that morning, alone, he had looked preoccupied and had spent the afternoon locked up in his office, making phone calls. She had been pleasantly surprised, therefore, when he had suggested later on that she should invite Holly and Ethan for dinner that night.

"That ought to make him forget about his troubles with Susan," she had thought at the time. But now, as the four of them sat in front of the small feast she had slaved over all afternoon, none of them looked happy or relaxed, except Ethan, who seemed oblivious to the undercurrent of tension running through the room.

She and Ethan ended up carrying the conversation for the best part of the meal, chitchatting about school and their plans for the upcoming summer, which might include a road trip to the East Coast and hiking in the Adirondacks. Then suddenly, when Jessica had caught Roger and Holly exchanging one tortured glances too many, she finally threw her napkin on the table in exasperation.

"Okay, what is going on here? You guys haven't said two words since we first started eating!"

Ethan put down his fork in surprise and looked at his mother, finally noticing her paleness. "Whoa, Mom, are you all right?"

Holly swallowed hard and turned to Roger for support. They had both agreed that morning that it would be best to let their children know about Christina as soon as possible, but now that the time had arrived, her courage was failing her. Roger gravely got up and invited them all to go sit in the living room, opening the march and looking about as comfortable as if he was walking on hot coals.

"Guys, why are you looking so serious? You're kind of scaring us now," Ethan said, speaking up for both Jessica and himself.

Roger sat in front of them while Holly chose to stand a little farther apart. "We have something to tell you. It's not bad, it's just…unusual, I would say," she started in an unsure voice.

"Yes," Roger agreed, nodding to her that he would take it from there. "You two know that Holly and I used to date at some point, right?"

"Yes, even though you keep avoiding the subject when I want to talk about it," Jessica retorted.

Roger ignored her and resumed: "And you know what it's like to be nineteen and in love. "

Ethan frowned and put an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. "Yes, we do."

"So you know that when you're love, sometimes it can be easy to get carried away. Your mother and I, we-"

Jessica interrupted him, suddenly flushed. "Daddy, are you trying to have the "safe sex" conversation? Because there's really no need. We're not stupid; we know how to be careful."

Roger sighed and took his daughter's hands in his. "Honey, what I'm trying to tell you is that you guys have a big sister out there somewhere."

Ethan and Jessica both stared at him for several minutes, their jaw literally dropping. For a split second, they both privately wondered if it made them related and if they would have to break up. Ethan was the first to fully grasp the situation and to start asking questions.

"You have a child together?" he said, turning to his mother.

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

"We don't know. We're going to try and look for her."

Jessica got up and addressed her father, in a slightly accusing tone. "Why didn't you tell me before?" She was clearly hurt that her father would have kept something that important from her.

Holly replied before Roger could speak. "He didn't know until yesterday. When I realized that I was pregnant, Roger and I had broken up, and I was in Europe. I really thought that I had no other choice than to give her up."

"But couldn't Grandpa and Grandma help you? Surely, money couldn't be an issue," Ethan said.

Holly looked at both of them and the incomprehension that she could see in their faces made her heart bleed. They were so young, she thought. "Your Grandpa wasn't very supportive of the idea, Ethan." Her son looked at her more attentively and nodded. He barely had any memories of Stanley Norris, but he had realized long ago that when his grandfather had died, he had not been missed. He had vaguely gathered from his father and mother that he was a cold-hearted and manipulative man, although to what extent he had no idea.

"But why didn't you tell Dad?" Jessica said, and Holly could tell that she was angry with her.

It was Roger's turn to take Holly's defense. "She tried to, Honey, but things got complicated, and then I joined the Agency. We can go over all of this later on, but for now, we just want you to know that this changes nothing between any of us. You two can still date, and Ethan, you mother loves you just as much as before, like I love you, Jess."

"But this is so…weird!" Jessica said with trembling lips. Unlike Ethan, she had been raised as an only child, and the thought of having a sibling somewhere filled her both with anxiety and wonder. Would her father love her less? Would her sister love her if they ever found her?

"I know, Honey, we'll all have to get used to it," Roger said, hugging her.

Ethan walked up to his mother and took her in his arms also. He was coping with the news a little bit better than Jessica, and he could see that his mother was really hurting. "Does Dad know?" he whispered in her ears. She shook her head. "I couldn't bring myself to tell him. I know that I should've told you all before, but I just didn't know how." Ethan stroked her hair and looked in her eyes so that she could see that he did not judge her, and she was amazed once again by how mature he already was.

He let go of her and turned to Jessica. "This is shocking news, but think about it, Jess, we have a sister! We should be glad."

"I guess," she said in a small voice, still unsure of what to feel.

They all sat down again and Roger poured them all a much needed glass of wine. "I started making inquiries in Europe already. I might have to go there myself for a couple of days."

"Do you think that you have a good chance of finding her?" Ethan asked, warming up to the idea more and more.

"I think so, but we also have to be prepared for the alternative. Let's not get our hopes up yet," Roger answered, glancing at Holly. She smiled tentatively in return, a huge burden apparently having been lifted from her shoulders.

The four of them chatted quietly long into the evening, Holly explaining in as much details as was appropriate the circumstances of the adoption, while Roger reassuringly held Jessica curled up against him on the couch. To an outsider, the scene had all the appearances of a perfect family evening; only they knew of the bumpy road that lay ahead of them. It seemed especially unfair to the sensitive Jessica, who had secretly harboured hopes that her father could find love again with his old flame. Behind Roger and Holly's apparent united front, however, she could easily see the distance that the news had driven between them and wondered if they would ever all be able to meet again as a happy family.


	9. What's Her Name Again?

Roger came by Holly's house the next morning to let her know that he would be leaving for Switzerland later that day. To her disappointment, she understood that he meant on travelling alone. The rational part of her realized that it would be much more efficient for him and that, more importantly, it would give him time to unwind. The other part wanted to beg him to take her with him. She refrained herself, however, and they parted with an awkward handshake and an exchange of troubled glances.

Three days had passed without word from him when Holly received the unannounced visit of his daughter, bringing wild flowers as a peace offering.

It was a beautiful and hot day, one of the first of the summer, and Holly ushered her in and offered her lemonade. "Thank you for the flowers, it's very sweet of you."

Jessica tossed back her blond hair nervously and stood on the other side of the kitchen table while Holly found a vase for the flowers. "I wanted to apologize for the way that I reacted the other night. I'm afraid I was a little curt with you."

Holly turned to her and couldn't help but laugh, completely disarmed by Jessica's candor. "Oh, you don't have to apologize for anything! This came as a shock for you and I really can't blame you for being angry. I'm just glad that you and Ethan don't hate me right now!"

"Hate you? Why would we hate you?" Jessica said, sincerely wondering. Holly's heart suddenly swelled at the sight of her son's girlfriend, so evidently eager to love and please her. She had never encountered such a sweet person in her life, with the exception maybe of her mother, Peggy, and of Maureen Bauer. For reasons easy to understand, she had never been close the latters, and had always had a hard time bonding with other women in general. Jessica's openness therefore touched her more than she could say.

"Ethan and I talked a lot since then, and he explained about your father, about how mean he was. I thought about it by myself also, and I tried to put myself in your shoes. My mother always tells me to do that before I judge somebody. I don't know what I would have done if I had been in your situation. I just know that it must have been really hard."

Holly nodded. "It was."

"You must be scared now too."

Holly glanced at Jessica and nodded again, knowing somehow that she could trust her with her feelings. "Awfully scared. I'm afraid that we won't find her. And I'm afraid that if we do, that she'll refuse to see me and hate me for abandoning her."

Jessica took a sip of lemonade and stayed silent; they both knew that Holly's fears could unfortunately become a reality. "That may be, but you're going to have to take that chance, because there is no going back now," she said after a while, and Holly could suddenly see the Thorpe side of her, fearless and unwavering.

"I hope that in time, she can love me a little and that she can forgive me for giving her up."

"I'm sure that she'll see that you love her very much. You're a very loving person."

"Me?" Holly said, raising an eyebrow, not used to being referred to in that way.

Jessica looked at her seriously and replied: "I think that you like to hide it and that you are a very guarded person, but that's just because you're sensitive and afraid of looking vulnerable. I can see the way you are with Ethan, thought, I know that you're really protective of him."

Holly laughed, taken aback once again by Jessica's straight-forwardness, but finding it refreshing nonetheless. She could see herself actually becoming friends with her daughter-in-law, and it made her really happy. She was about to get them both a refill of lemonade when there was a knock on the door and Ethan and Ed came in.

She could see from the look in her son's eyes that he had brought his father over so that she could let him in on the latest news. Part of her was annoyed by his interference, but the wiser part knew that her son was right in helping her to get it over with. Ed was going to find out sooner or later, and it had to come from her.

"Hello, Holly," Ed said, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. "Ethan insisted that I should come and visit you today. Is there something that you two need to tell me? He asked good-humouredly. Ethan took Jessica by the hand and led her to the kitchen's back door. "Yeah, Mom has to talk to you." He turned to Jessica and gave her a peck on the forehead. "Want me to show you the river? It's really gorgeous that time of year." He then whispered something in her ear and they both headed out the door, giggling.

Ed sat at the kitchen table and threw a knowing look at his ex-wife. "So? What is it?"

Holly raised her eyes to the ceiling and shook her head, as if imploring God to come to her help with this one. "I don't want you to be mad at me, Ed. You know how highly I think of you, how much I care about you."

Ed replied in his usual quiet voice: "I care about you too, Holly, surely you know that."

"Yes, so that's why I hope that you won't judge me too harshly when I tell you what I should have told you years ago," she said, before telling him the whole story. She knew that, unlike with her son, she could afford to be totally honest with Ed, and so she spared him no detail of the story: the way her father had manipulated both Roger and her, the pain of giving up her child and her renewed desire of finding her daughter. He listened to her carefully and calmly, and only the rapid batting of his eyes betrayed his emotion.

When Holly finally finished talking, wiping a tear that had ran down her cheek, he leaned over the table and put a hand over hers. "God, Holly, why didn't you tell me?"

Holly shook her head. This was the very question that Roger, Ethan and Jessica had asked her in the last few days, and she wasn't sure of the answer. "I guess I was afraid that you'd despise me for abandoning my baby," she finally said, answering to all four of them at the same time, even though Ed was the only one who could hear her reply.

"I think that you underestimated my love for you, and my ability to understand, Holly. Come here," he said, getting up and opening his arms. "You seem to think that I'll never forgive you if you screw up, and that is absolutely ridiculous. Don't you remember how many times I screwed up myself?" he added, thinking of his past drinking.

"I know," she retorted, her head on his shoulder. "But somehow you always come across as this perfect, composed man, who always know the right thing to do or to say. Like right now, for example," she said, tilting her head back and smiling at him through her tears.

"You know, it all makes sense to me now, all these little things about you that I couldn't explain when we were married," Ed said after a while. He led her to the living room so that they could sit more comfortably.

"What things?"

"Little things, like how overly emotional you would get around babies. You thought that you could hide it, but it was plain to see, at least for me. I thought at the time that it was just your desire to have your own child that was manifesting itself. And when you became pregnant with Ethan, I noticed how easily you took everything in stride. You looked so prepared, and then you gave birth so easily, like you already knew what to do, that it really made me wonder. I could also see how your doctor talked to you, and how uncomfortable he seemed to be around me. He knew, didn't he?"

Holly nodded sheepishly. "That's not the kind of things that you can hide from your obstetrician."

"I never could have guessed, of course, but I always felt when we were married that you were hiding something from me, that there was a part of you that I couldn't see nor reach."

"It drove you away."

Ed smiled. "We both know that it was more complicated than that. You and I weren't suited for each other. I needed someone more like…" he stopped, searching for the right words.

"More like Maureen?" Holly offered, and they both burst out laughing. One of the great joys in their lives was the way they had been able to handle their divorce gracefully, and how they had managed to become true friends. It was a gift that Holly tried never to take for granted, especially for her son's sake.

"What about you; what kind of person do you need, Holly?" Ed asked, becoming serious again. "A man like Roger Thorpe?"

Holly blushed and tried to play it cool. "Why would you say that?"

"Because our son has a big mouth, and he told me that he think you two still have feelings for each other."

This time Holly hid her face in her hands, beyond embarrassed. "So, it's true?" Ed inquired. He had never known Roger very well, and hadn't seen him in more than twenty years, but he wasn't sure that he liked the man that he remembered. From the information he was able to gather after Ethan became involved with Jessica, however, he was willing to believe that Roger's wild days were behind him and that he was a reformed man. He would give him the benefit of the doubt for now, he decided, but would keep an eye on him. No one messed with his family, or his ex-wife for that matter.

He was about to take his leave when the phone rang, making Holly jump. She had been getting increasingly impatient to get some news from Europe and practically wrenched the phone off its base.

"Holly?" Roger's voice said at the other end of the line. She could tell by his tone that he had something to tell her and her heart rate rapidly spiked to the roof. Ed sensed her apprehension and held his hand out to her. She grabbed it and squeezed it convulsively before answering.

"Yes?"

"I found her. I found Christina."

Holly let go of Ed and her free hand ran to her mouth. "You saw her?" she finally managed to blurt out.

"No, but I know where she is. She lives in San Francisco. Turns out she has been adopted by Americans and has been in the States all along."

"I can't believe it," Holly said, shaking. "Are you sure it's her?"

"Positive, but there's no time to explain now. I'm coming back by the next plane and going straight to California. Will you meet me there?"

"Yes! Of course!"

"Ok, I'll let you know at which hotel to stop. I have to go."

"Wait! One more thing; what's her name?"

There was interference on the line and it took a few seconds before Roger's voice could be heard again, loud and clear. "They called her Blake."


	10. If you're going to San Francisco

Holly hung up the phone and immediately started to pack while Ed shouted through the back door for Ethan and Jessica to come back in. He went into her bedroom, hugged her one last time and wished her good luck, then left for the hospital.

When the children rushed in, panting from running up the hill, Holly explained the situation as coherently as she could, and Ethan instantly grabbed the phone to book a plane ticket to San Francisco. Jessica followed Holly to her bedroom to help her pack and had to physically stop her from running around and sending clothes flying in all directions.

"Just sit down, please. I'll put the clothes in the suitcase from now on." She peered at the items already piled in the bag and frowned. "My, there certainly are a lot of business suits in there. I guess you won't need all of these," she said, grabbing the drabbest ones and tossing them aside. She crossed the room to the wardrobe and took out a couple of Holly's dresses. "This is more like it," she smiled, bringing them back to the bed.

Holly started to protest. "These are too dressed up for the occasion, Jess, I really don't think –"

"Well, we never know, don't we?" Jessica retorted, snapping the suitcase shut and handing it to Holly. They joined Ethan in the living room and they all faced each other.

"I guess this is it!" Holly said tensely.

"I'm sure you guys will be a big hit with Blake," Ethan replied confidently, slipping an arm around Jessica's waist.

"Keep us posted ok?" Jessica added, her eyes welling up. "And tell her…"

"Yes?"

"Oh, I don't know, tell her we said "hello"?" Jessica said and they all started laughing nervously.

Holly kissed them both on the cheek and headed for the door. "Wish me luck!"

She waited to be well on her way to the airport to finally allow herself to cry. This time, however, she was crying tears of joy, at the prospect of meeting her daughter again and because she was finally receiving the support she had been aching for more than twenty years.

Roger was waiting for her that night in the lobby of the Hotel Monaco, and, as it seemed to become the custom, could actually feel her coming in before he could see her. He turned around and watched her cross the room toward him, unaware of the looks of admiration she was gathering.

He had readied himself for the rush of emotions that he knew her arrival would bring, but he still had to fight the urge to either run away or to take her in his arms; he wasn't sure which one he wanted to do most at this point. Because underneath all his feelings of anger and betrayal, there laid the exhilaration of knowing that he shared a child with that woman, and that this child was the unbreakable bond that he could always feel existed between them. He shook his head as she neared him and willed himself to put these thoughts out of his mind for the present. There would be plenty of time later on to sort through this emotional rubble.

"Tell me everything," she urged him once she was finished checking in.

"I will, but let's go somewhere quieter. How about your room? You can get settled in at the same time," Roger offered evenly.

"Perfect."

He took her suitcase from her and they took the elevator to her floor, which was the same as Roger's. "I'm three doors down," he explained as she fumbled with her key. Holly kicked off her shoes as soon as she was in the door and collapsed on the armchair near the window, exhausted by her flight. Roger dropped the suitcase by the bed and joined her in the living room area.

"This room is really great, Roger," Holly said gratefully, taking in the yellow and white stripped wallpaper and the dark mahogany furniture.

"I always come down to this hotel when I'm in town. I practically lived here for six months when we opened the San Fran division. And to think that she was right here, all this time…"Roger left his sentence unfinished and briskly turned to the mini bar, getting busy fixing them drinks.

Holly sighed, unable to decide if the remark meant that he was still angry with her, and decided it would be better to change the subject. "So how did you find her?"

Roger popped two ice cubes in his scotch and came back to the couch with her glass of white wine. "I went to see the nurse first, Sarah, but unfortunately, she knew nothing. She did remember you though. She was really happy to know that you were okay; she said that she wasn't sure at the time that you could handle losing your baby." Roger stopped and looked at her intently, and Holly wondered what else Sarah had told him, and if it had helped him understand her frame of mind at the time. He didn't offer any more information, however, so she let the matter pass.

"So then I traced down one of Stanley's old associates, the one I knew was handling his personal affairs at that time. He was living in London, and he told me the name of the agency that he had used to put Blake up for adoption."

"He told you just like that?"

"Well, I had to shake him a little and dust his face a couple of times with the back of my hands, but then, yes, he was pretty willing to help me out."

"Roger!" Holly exclaimed, falsely outraged.

Roger smiled at her for the first time that evening and replied: "It worked, didn't it?"

"I contacted the agency and they confirmed that Blake had been adopted by a couple from San Francisco. Sam and Eliza Turner. From what I could gather, they were very decent people and fairly well-off, and they took good care of her. She was their only child."

"Was?"

"They were both killed in a car crash two years ago," Roger said gravely.

Holly's eyes widened in horror. "This is terrible!"

"Yes, it must have been very hard for her. Anyway, I asked the agency of they could contact her on our behalf and asked her if she would be willing to meet us. And she said yes."

"She did? Oh, Roger, I'm so glad!" Holly exclaimed, impulsively grabbing one of his hands. He didn't let go but looked uncomfortable. "When can we meet her?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? That's awfully soon," Holly replied, suddenly nervous again.

"Soon? It's twenty-three years too late if you ask me," he said in a flat voice.

Holly's heart sank once again, and she seriously started to doubt if he would ever get past the fact that she had given up their baby. "What else do you know about her?" she asked after a few seconds.

Roger lightened up. "I believe that she's still single. She graduated last year from Stanford University in public relations, and now, get this, she's working for Apple! My competition, of all places!" he said, secretly pleased that his daughter seemed to be share at least one of his interests. He got up and put his empty glass on the bar. "We should call it a night. Tomorrow's a big day."

Holly pulled herself up from the armchair and saw him to the door. "Do you think she'll like us?"

"What's not to like?" Roger joked, trying to shake away his own insecurities. "Sweet dreams, Holly," he added, his hand lingering on her arm. Their eyes met, full of all the things they didn't know how to say to each other, and then Roger was gone.


	11. Three's Company

When Blake had received that fateful phone call from the adoption agency, she hadn't hesitated to accept their offer to meet her biological parents. If she had thought about it for too long, she probably would have lost her nerve. So there she was, sitting in the back of her favorite coffee shop, minutes before the appointed time when she was supposed to meet Roger Thorpe and Holly Lindsey for the first time. Twisting a strand of curly hair around her index and biting her bottom lip, she wondered if she would recognize them when they finally came in the door, if something inside her would let her know that they were her own flesh and blood.

For the last ten minutes, every time a couple had come inside, her heart had skipped a beat, and she had long abandoned the idea of actually drinking her coffee, which was slowly turning cold at the far end of the table. She glanced at her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time, then raised her eyes when she heard the doorbell ring one more time. The coffee shop was cramped and noisy, but she could make out a flash of red hair through the crowd, and that's when she knew, without a doubt, that her mother had finally found her.

Roger and Holly stood by the door for a moment, their hearts in their throats, looking around for Blake, who had said would be wearing a green T-Shirt and jeans. After a few seconds, Holly suddenly could feel Roger's hand on her arm, and followed his gaze to the other side of the coffee shop. She gasped and slowly crossed over to the young woman she knew to be her daughter.

They faced each other, taken aback by a resemblance neither of them had expected. Holly checked herself before she could reach out and touch her daughter's soft auburn curls that looked so much like her own.

"Blake," she simply said instead, stating the obvious.

"You must be Holly," Blake replied in the same low-pitched voice.

They both took another pose, amazed to hear that even their voices sounded the same. Roger, who had been standing a few feet back, too overwhelmed to speak, finally joined them and shook his daughter's hand.

"Should we be hugging and kissing? What's the protocol in these situations?" Blake jokingly asked, trying to ease the tension.

Roger turned around, ordering two lattes from the barista standing over the counter, then replied: "Whatever makes you comfortable, Blake. You can even get up and walk out right now if you feel like it. Although, we hope you'll stay."

"I want to stay, but there is something that I have to make clear before we say anything else. I love my parents very dearly, and to me, Eliza and Sam Turner will always remain my real parents. I know it sounds harsh, but that's the way it is; they raised me and taught me everything that I know. To be honest, I don't think that I would have agreed to meet you if you would have asked two years ago. I always thought that it would somehow be disrespectful to them, and frankly, I was also pissed at you for giving me up."

She absent-mindedly took a sip of her coffee, and then made a face, remembering that it was cold. "But, as you maybe know, my parents both died a couple of years back, and it changed everything for me. First of all, it taught me what real grief was. It also taught me that life goes by too quickly to hold a grudge, and that you have to appreciate what you have while you have it. So I decided that, if you ever came looking for me, I would meet with you. I'm not sure if you and I can ever become family, but hopefully, we can be friends. What do you think?"

"We'll take anything you might be willing to offer us, Blake. There is absolutely no pressure on our part, seriously," Roger replied.

"I guess you must have questions about us, about your adoption?" Holly asked, leaning against Roger for support.

Blake stared at them both in turn. "Tons of questions! You see, I was really surprised to find out that you were both looking for me. I always imagined that my mother must have been a desperate young woman, all alone and with no one to help her raise her child. I admit that I was shocked when I realized that my biological parents were actually still together- "

Holly winced inwardly at the term "biological" while Roger replied to their daughter: "We're not married. We only reconnected recently through a strange turn of events, and that's when we decided to look for you."

Blake raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? I could have sworn that you two were a couple. Anyway, it doesn't matter; I would like to hear about my adoption now, if you don't mind," she said, turning to her mother.

Now, this was the part of the conversation that Holly had been dreading the most. Unlike Roger, she couldn't claim that she hadn't known about her daughter's existence for all these years. Sensing this, Roger took the matter into his own hands, relating the story in its entirety, sparing their daughter no details of Stanley's meddling and recounting all the times that Holly had actually tried to find both of them. Holly stared at him from time to time, amazed at how objective he was being and not daring to interrupt him.

Customers came and went while Roger talked on, and the coffee shop was almost empty by the time that he was finally done.

"Wow," Blake said, leaning back in her chair. "That Stanley guy, or should I call him Grandpa, was a real jerk."

Holly and Roger looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"You know what the craziest part is, thought? It's almost funny, really," she continued.

"What?" Holly asked, afraid of the answer.

"Most adopted children secretly dream that their real parents will turn out to be these really glamorous people. I never hoped for that, but it turns out that you kind of are anyway."

"Glamorous, us?" Roger asked, tickled by the idea.

"Well, wouldn't you say? Holly, you're this savvy business woman, managing a TV station. And you, Roger, used to be a CIA agent, for crying out loud! And then you went on to become the owner and president of one of the most promising IT company. By the way, I applied at Blue Horizon after graduating, and some stuck-up HR clerk turned me down."

Roger flushed. "What? What's his name?"

Blake smirked and retorted: "I don't remember, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you, because you'd fire him, and then, who else would be crazy enough to hire him, right?"

Roger blinked before the fact finally dawned on him that Blake was actually pulling his leg. A smile spread across his lips. "Well, I'm certainly glad to you seem comfortable enough to make fun of me already. Feel free to do so again, anytime."

"Speaking of time," Blake said, "I really have to go. Are long will you be staying in San Francisco?"

"For a week, if you want us to," Holly replied.

Blake hesitated for a split second before replying: "I think I'd like that, yes. Now that we got the serious talk out of the way, we'll be able to get to know each other a little bit better."

"Sounds great! Here's our number," Roger said, handing her their hotel card. They watched her leave and then Holly took her daughter's seat so that she could face Roger.

"Oh my god! How surreal was that?" she exclaimed, running both her hands through her hair.

"She looks and sounds so much like you, Holly, that it made me want to cry the whole time." They gazed at each other for a few seconds before Holly answered softly. "She does, doesn't she? This came as a shock. Ethan looks so different from me that I assumed that she would end up looking like you, physically. I can tell though that she takes from you for pretty much everything else."

"You do?" Roger asked, looking pleased.

"Her spunk, her confidence, her energy, it's all you."

"Except for that West Coast laid-back vibe, which she must be taking from the Turners."

"I know, right? I felt totally overdressed when I first saw her," Holly said, looking down at her classic business suit.

Roger suddenly laughed, a huge sense of relief washing over him. "This went so much better that I hoped!"

Holly frowned and finished her second cup of coffee. "She did seem pretty Zen about the whole situation. She looks so grown up, and so well-balanced, that it makes me wonder if she's not hiding her true feelings towards us."

"Maybe, but then again, maybe not. Granted, we might be both a little neurotic at times, but it doesn't follow that she also must be. After all, we're not the ones that raised her."

"You're right. Thank God for the Turners!" Holly said.

"And for Peggy and Ed, while we're at it!" Roger added. They clanked their cups against one another and smiled.

"Let's go get dinner, I'm starving," Roger said.

* * *

A few blocks away, Blake was lying on her bed in her apartment, staring at the ceiling. All in all, she reflected, she was happy that she had decided to meet with her parents, even though the meeting had moved her much more that she had anticipated. She had thought that she would come to regard and care for Roger and Holly as some distant uncle and aunt , but she could see now that it wouldn't be that simple.

Holly's face, so much like her own, flashed before her eyes and the memory made her breathe in sharply. There was no denying the bond that existed between them. "So beautiful," Blake whispered, not fully recognizing that she also shared that beauty. She sat down and slowly, one by one, tears started running down her cheeks. Like her mother, she also needed to be alone in order to cry.

* * *

A quick note on Blake: This version of Blake is not that different from the one in the real show, except maybe for the fact that she's in a much healthier place emotionally, thanks for her more "stable" upbringing. I liked both Sherry Stringfield and Liz Kiefer for the role, but I always wished that Blake looked more like Holly physically (which is hard to pull on a TV show). So that one if a gift from me to me!


	12. Forget About Dessert

"What are you having?" Roger asked Holly.

"Goat cheese salad. You?"

"Salmon. Shall we share an appetizer?

Holly perused trough the menu. "The lobster mac & cheese sounds yummy."

"Mac & cheese it is then, and I say with get a bottle of white wine with that," Roger said, putting his menu down on the table.

They had wandered aimlessly down the San Francisco streets for half-an-hour, talking about Blake, before finding and settling on this little French bistro. Roger had been the one to notice it from across the street and to suggest that they try it out. The fact that the restaurant was called First Crush was lost on neither of them, but they only smiled inwardly and said nothing.

Waiting for the first course, they both glanced around, taking in the subdued lights and the cozy atmosphere. After a few seconds spent in silence, Roger leaned in and asked with a twinkle in his eyes: "So, what do you want to talk about?" A smile played on Holly's lips before she replied: "Oh, I don't know. How about we talk about Blake?" They both burst out laughing, still delighted by the fact that they had just met with their daughter for the first time. They both felt that there would never be enough hours in the day to discuss all they had noticed about her and immediately proceeded to dissect the meeting all over again.

"Did you see the T-Shirt she was wearing? What was on it?" Roger inquired after a while.

"I think it was a Pearl Jam T-shirt."

"Pearl what?"

"It's a band, Roger, a grunge band from Seattle. It's pretty big right now," Holly answered knowingly.

Roger looked impressed. "I didn't know you knew so much about that kind of music."

Holly smiled. "I don't; Ethan has been blasting my ears with it for the last three months. It's not bad, actually."

Roger scratched his jaw pensively. "Is that so? I'll have to ask Jess about it then. In any case, we now know that Ethan and Blake have at least one thing in common already!"

"Yeah. I really hope that they'll hit it off, that is, if they ever get to meet," Holly said, unfolding her napkin briskly and spreading it out on her lap.

"I think they will, eventually. I mean, she did agree to see us again this week, so surely this is a good sign, don't you think?"

"I hope you're right. I don't think that I could bear not seeing her again, not that I've met her. I remember the years that I've spent away from Ethan, and it was hell. I missed him so much!"

"When was that?"

The waiter reached their table at that moment, bringing the wine. They waited until he was gone again to make a toast. "To your kid, and my kid, and our kid," Roger said, lifted his glass and clanking it against Holly's.

"Hear, hear," she said, taking a small sip and putting the glass down. "To answer your question; I was away from my son when I was married to Dietrich. You see, I first went to Switzerland with Ethan, because Ed and I had agreed that he would attend a private school there, where he could get into a one-year special skiing program. The plan was that I should stay there with him for the whole year. Then I met my second husband, and I decided to stay behind after the year was over. I regretted it ever since; Ethan was only ten years old at the time, much too young to be without me."

"Then why did you do it?" Roger asked. "I hope you don't think that I'm judging you, because I'm not. I'm just curious of your motives for letting him go."

Holly laughed, slightly embarrassed. She played absent-mindedly with the gold chain around her neck, trying the find the right words. "When I left for Europe, I had only been divorced from Ed for a year. He had just met Maureen, and so I was in desperate need of a change of scenery. Dietrich just…dazzled me. He was so refined, so entertaining, and so dawn handsome." She smiled as she caught Roger's raised eyebrows. "Yes, he was really dashing. But I soon find out that you can't base a marriage on swag alone. I missed Ethan terribly after he was gone, but Dietrich didn't want to hear about moving to the States or at least visiting more often, so, after a couple of years, I decided that I was done."

She stopped to take a bite of her lobster, which the waiter had just brought. "This tastes great!"

Roger nodded silently, working on his own mouthful. "I know that we should always try to be there for our kids, but sometimes it's not that easy," he finally managed to say. "I was away from Jessica for seven years myself while I was at the agency. I visited and I knew that Peggy was taking really good care of her, but I still feel guilty to this day about being away from her so much while she was growing up."

"She doesn't seem to hold it against you, thought. You too look very close."

"We are now, but she gave me hell for it for a couple of years after I came back and I don't blame her. However, I do feel that I made the right choice in joining the agency. It finally put some sense into me. Before that, I had no purpose, no sense of responsibility. I was always looking for a new way to make a quick buck," he said.

"I think I remember that," Holly replied teasingly.

Roger shook his head, embarrassed by the recollection of his early years. "I'm afraid that I put Peggy through hell. I know she spent many a night being worried sick about me, wondering where I was. I try to make it up to her now by being the best father that I can be, and I know that my years at the agency made me a better person, so, all things considered, I think it was the right thing to do."

"I wish I could say the same about my second marriage," Holly deadpanned. "In any case, I made a point of staying as close to Ethan as he'll let me since then, and I really hope that Blake will let me into her life as well. I still can't believe that she agreed to meet with me, knowing that I gave her up."

"I believe that at first, she decided to meet mostly of curiosity. She was pretty clear about whom she felt her real parents were. By the end, though, I felt that she started thawing towards us. And as for the fact that you gave her up, she heard your reasons, she's a sensible girl. I don't think that she'll hold it against you, in fact, I think it might actually help her get over the fact that you gave her up for adoption."

Holly was both thrilled and rattled by his last comment. She pondered on whether or not she should let the matter drop, not wanting to ruin the mood, and then decided that she had to know what was on Roger's mind. She leaned over the table and stared right into his eyes.

"Then tell me this, if my own daughter can forgive me for letting her go, why can't you?"

* * *

She found Roger waiting for her outside the restaurant ten minutes later but studiously ignored him while she waited for a cab. He slowly walked up to her and raised his hands. "I'm sorry that I ran out like this, Holly."

She turned to briefly look at him then got her eyes back on the street. "If you didn't want to pick up the check, you just should've said so," she replied icily.

"Oh come on, Holly! Sarcasm won't get us anywhere" Roger exclaimed in frustration. This time Holly forgot about the cab and faced him. "Neither will avoiding the subject."

"You're right, and that's why I came back. We need to talk about this," he agreed, hailing a cab that was passing by. They both got in and Holly slammed the door more forcefully than was necessary, still annoyed that Roger had tried to run out on her.

"This was very childish of you, you know that?" she could not help adding.

Roger nodded obediently. "Yes, I think we've established that. I want to talk now; will you LET me talk?"

"Please, knock yourself out."

Roger ran his hands on the front of his thighs, trying to gather his thoughts. "Blake is your daughter. She just found out today that you didn't abandon her willingly after all; of course, she's going to be happy about that!"

"So?"

"So, for me, it's not that straight-forward! The last few weeks have been like an emotional roller-coaster, and I don't know what to feel anymore! I was still just trying to process the fact that you were back into my life, when I discovered that we were tricked into breaking up in the first place. Then all these feelings that I had buried just resurfaced, and I suddenly found myself ready to drop everything to be with you."

"What was there to drop? I thought you said that your marriage to that Susan person was already over."

"It was and it still is, thought she won't let me go, but that's another matter. What I am trying to say is that before I knew about Blake, I was convinced that you and I had reconnected in such a way that nothing could come between us ever again. Now, I just don't know anymore. I know why you gave her up; I just can't accept the fact that you hid it from me all these years."

The taxi came to a halt in front of their hotel. Holly got out and waited outside while Roger paid the fare.

"You know why I didn't tell you. I thought you didn't want anything to do with me, and besides, I just couldn't damn find you!" she shouted as soon as then cab was gone.

"But you should have known that I loved you! You should have known that I would have wanted you to keep our baby!"

Holly stared at him in amazement. "Really, Roger, that is so unfair!"

Roger dropped his eyes to the ground. "Maybe you're right, maybe I am wrong, but I can't help feeling this way. I wish I could will myself to trust you again but it just doesn't work like that. I feel cheated, and I'm afraid that I'll always wonder if you're not keeping something else from me. I know that you don't want to hear this, but now at least, you know what I think."

Holly walked up to him and lifted his chin, looking into his eyes. "So that's it? We just found our child and you're giving up on the idea of us?" Roger stared back but didn't answer. "Well, if you're going to kiss me goodbye, you'll have to do it literally," Holly whispered, pulling him into her embrace, brushing her lips against his. Too stunned to resist, Roger soon found himself kissing her back ardently, crushing his mouth against hers and running his hands in her hair, until she pushed him back without warning.

She took a few steps back and poked in the chest, incensed. "You think about that kiss when you're alone at night, or better yet, with Susan." Then she walked into the hotel, mumbling something about "pig-headed males" and "stupid misplaced pride", while Roger stood panting on the sidewalk, unsure of what just happened.

* * *

_Note: There is such a reastaurant called First Crush in San Fran, I kid you not, folks! As for the "emotional roller coaster", the fans of the cliff house storyline will probably recognize the words utttered by Holly on the morning after they made love. I couldn't resist using them again, this time in Roger's mouth!_


	13. And Let Me Tell You Something Else

The next morning, Roger woke up with a start, calling out Holly's name. Then he leaned back down on his bed, grabbing a pillow and squeezing it over his face, moaning out in frustration. Once again, his night had been filled with dreams of a highly erotic nature, all of which involved his redhead first love. The dreams had begun the very day that Holly had come back into his life, and had reoccurred each and every night since then. To make matters worse, they were so vivid that the memories of them always tortured him throughout the day.

"As if things weren't complicated enough," he grumbled, heading for the shower, which he chose to take very cold. He was coming out of it ten minutes later when he heard an insistent knock at the door. He hurriedly put on his bathrobe and went to the door.

Holly was standing on the other side, fully dressed, and he could immediately tell from her stony expression that she was still mad at him. "Blake called and asked if we wanted to meet with her for lunch. Are you up for it?"

"Of course!" Roger hesitated and then added: "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Holly drummed her fingers impatiently against the door frame. "Listen, Roger. I will be civil and will get along with you for the rest of this trip, for our daughter's sake. But make no mistake; I'm still pissed at you!"

She started to walk back to her room but Roger grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop. "Come on, Holly! Please don't be like this. Weren't we getting along better before that stupid conversation last night?"

"I'm glad we had that talk; at least now I know where we stand."

"Where DO we stand, Holly? I don't even know myself! Can't we at least be friends for now?"

Holly snorted and yanked her hand free of his. "No, Roger, I don't think that you and I can ever be just friends," she said, walking away.

Roger sighed and came back into his room, closing the door softly. "Talk about a mess," he muttered.

* * *

They found Blake waiting for them in the lobby a little while later, her hair in a ponytail, wearing blue jeans and a navy trench coat. Holly and Roger had also opted for a more casual style, feeling it would help them all feeling more at ease with each other. They headed to one of Blake's favorite local eatery, chatting animatedly as they walked down the street.

Holly made good on her promise to behave in front of Blake, and was so friendly towards Roger that he could almost have sworn she had decided to forgive him. He knew her too well, however, not to know that it was all an act on her part. Blake, for her part, seemed oblivious to any tension that might be lingering between them.

They spent the meal discussing Holly's job at WSPR and the respective merits of Apple and BlueHorizon, as well as Blake's years in college, a passage which she qualified as "a perfect mix between learning, partying and dating very cute but dumb boys." After they had finished sharing a piece of lemon pie for dessert, Blake grabbed her knife and clanked it against her glass of water.

"There something that I need to say to you." Her face grew so earnest that her parents glanced at each other, slightly wary of what was to follow.

"I did a lot of thinking after we met yesterday. In fact, I stayed up pretty much all night, thinking about you guys, and about what you might come to mean to me in the future. You see, I feel that there is this connection between us already. I don't know if it's supposed to be like this or not, and I certainly didn't expect it to be this way, but there it is."

She grabbed their hands and gave them a light squeeze. "Are you trying to make me cry?" Roger asked, fighting back the tears and smiling at the same time, while Holly finally ran her hand through her daughter's hair, like she had longed to do the day before.

"I have to admit that I was pretty conflicted about it at first," Blake added after a while. "I actually felt guilty that I liked you."

"Because of your parents?" Holly asked softly.

Blake nodded. "I love them so much, and somehow I was afraid that spending time with you would make me forget about them that much more quickly. I know it sounds stupid."

"It doesn't, really," Roger said.

"In any case, at some point last night, I was even sure if I should see you again. Then I tried to imagine the kind of advice that my dad would give me in such a situation. My dad had the best judgment ever; he always knew how to make me see things more clearly."

"And what would he have told you?"

"To just go with the flow," Blake said, tilting her head back and laughing. "My father was a bit of a hippie, did I mention that? My mother was too. I also remembered last night that she used to say that there would never be too much love in the world. In the end, that's pretty much what settled it for me."

Holly leaned back in her chair, moved to tears once again. "I really wished that I could have gotten to meet them. They seemed like great parents, and great people."

Blake looked at her mother and bit her lip, a move that Roger and Holly would come to recognize as a sign of nervousness. "Funny that you should mention that. How would you like to meet them?"

* * *

The cemetery was almost empty, even if it was a Saturday afternoon. Blake lovingly put down the bouquet of lilies they had bought on the way on her parents' gravestone, and then took a few steps back to join Holly and Roger.

She wiped a tear and leaned her head against Roger's shoulder. "I miss them every day, but I know that they would be glad that you guys came back into my life."

"We're here to take care of you now. You can count on us," Roger said, kissing the top of her head.

Blake smiled through her tears. "It's funny how you two talk about yourselves. It's always "we" and "us". If I didn't know any better, I'd thing that you were joined at the hip or something!"

Roger and Holly both did their best to hide their embarrassment and when Blake suggested a stroll in the park next to the cemetery, they eagerly accepted. Blake's life was once again the focus of the conversation, Holly and Roger being only too happy to finally get to learn more about their daughter's life.

While Blake was describing her one-bedroom apartment, Roger's thoughts went from his eldest to his youngest daughter. He loved Jessica with all his heart; she was the apple of his eyes and he would gladly give his life for her. He could already feel, however, that his relationship with Blake would be just as special, even though it would be radically different. Whereas Jessica would always remain his precious little girl, he recognized Blake as a kindred spirit. They agreed on many subjects and he could see that she shared his business acumen and intuition. He started dreaming about future days where she might come and work by his side, even becoming his partner, and then he silently laughed for getting so much ahead of himself.

Roger was not the only one who noticed the profound connection he shared with his daughter; Holly had the opportunity to observe it too during the following days, with a mix of pleasure and envy. They all met several times over the remainder of their stay in San Francisco, and every time she could feel that, for all Blake's friendliness towards her, her daughter was still holding back ever so slightly. Their conversations were plainly not as fluid as the ones taking place between Blake and Roger, who jabbered all day long as if their life depended on it. Despite Roger's assurances, Holly still wondered if Blake's reluctance was rooted in the fact that she had been the one to put her up for adoption.

The week flew by and before they knew it, it was time for them to say their goodbyes. Blake accompanied them to the airport and gladly accepted their offer to come and visit them soon in Springfield. She was barely out of sight before Roger turned to Holly with a questioning look.

"I guess you'll go back to being mad at me now that Blake is out of sight?"

Holly pursed her lips. "I wish I could, but you seem to forget that Jessica and Ethan are waiting for us at home, and that we'll have to put up a happy front for them too."

Roger couldn't resist from teasing her: "So what you're saying is that you're destined to be nice to me forever?"

Holly gave him a nasty look. "Very funny. Oh, wait, it's not funny at all. Actually, it's the opposite of funny! I'd say that it's the LEAST funny thing that I ever heard. I meant what I said before about us not being friends, Roger. It's not what I want from you, and if you can't deal with that, then it's your loss."

She grabbed her luggage and started walking toward the boarding area. After a few steps, she turned to face him and walked backward. She couldn't have stopped the outpour of all the feelings she had kept bottled up inside for the whole week if she had tried. "You know something else?" she said, raising her voice, completely unbothered by the people staring at them. "You have some nerve, coming after me in Springfield, telling me that you're going to leave your wife, when in fact you're just a coward. That's right; you can't handle the first thing that life throws at you. Well, you know what, I deserve better than that."

She turned back and walked away, leaving Roger rooted to the spot for the second time in the same week. A little old woman approached him and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He looked at her, still dazed by Holly's very public outburst, aware that he probably looked like a jerk in the eyes of the small crowd that had gathered around him.

"If I were you, young man," the woman said, "I'd find myself another place to sit on the plane."


	14. The Red Connection

Holly saw very little of Roger in the next few weeks. Work had piled up while they were visiting Blake in San Francisco, so both of them practically had to camp at their respective offices upon their return. Jessica and Ethan having left for the Adirondacks earlier in the month, they had no occasion of running into each other.

Holly was glad at first to have the opportunity to unwind after their highly emotional trip, but she soon found herself longing for Roger's presence. She took comfort in the fact that she had been able to assert what she wanted out of their relationship, but still had to face the hard truth that Roger was rejecting her. She spent most of her evenings wandering morosely about her house, her everyday life bringing her no pleasure whatsoever, and the sparkle gone from her usually bright eyes. It seemed to her that life was playing a particularly cruel trick on her, bringing Roger back into her life only to snatch him away from her again. Most of all, she had a hard time dealing with her feeling of helplessness, but what else could she do? She couldn't will him to change his mind.

She was brooding on her couch one Saturday afternoon, going over their conversation in front of their hotel for the millionth time, when she heard a car pull into the driveway. She got up to meet her unexpected visitor and gasped in surprise when she found her daughter smiling on the other side of the door, carrying several suitcases.

"Hey Holly! I decided to take you up on your offer. May I come in?" Blake asked, pushing her way trough the door before her mother could answer.

She was already crashing into the sofa when Holly finally found her speech again. "What a pleasant surprise! I never expected you would be able to visit so soon."

"I take two weeks off work every summer so I figured it was the perfect timing to fly here."

"Does your father…does Roger know that you're in Springfield?"

"Nope, it's a surprise!" Blake said in an excited tone. "Wait, you don't mind if I stay here, do you?"

"Are you kidding? I'm thrilled to have you. I just assumed…" Holly stopped, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Blake gave her a questioning look. "What? That I'd want to stay with Roger?"

Holly nodded sheepishly. "Kind of. You guys seemed to be hitting off so well in San Francisco."

"I know, but that's why I felt I needed to come here instead. We need to get to know each other better."

Holly beamed and sat beside her. "There is nothing that could make me happier. I was afraid that you were mad at me, because I was the one who had given you up."

"I'm not mad at you. I used to be, but that was before we met and you explained to me why you had given me up. So, no, that's not it."

"So there is something else?

Blake turned so that she could face her mother squarely. "I don't know where to begin, this is so awkward!"

"It's okay, you can tell me."

"I thought about you so many times when I was younger, trying to imagine what you were like. As I told you before, I never harboured that much illusions about who my parents might be. So, when I finally met you, I was just awestruck. I never expected that you would be so beautiful and witty and smart, and you know, intimidating!"

"Intimidating?"

"Yes! Can't you see? I mean, Roger is great too, larger than life even, but he is a man, so there is no comparison to be done between us. Whereas with you…I don't know, we look so much alike, and I just don't know if I can measure up to your expectations."

Holly couldn't help but putting a hand over Blake's shoulder.

"Measure up? Sweetie, don't you know how great you are?"

"I don't know about that," Blake mumbled, embarrassed by her mother's praise.

"Look at me. I was not half the woman you are when I was your age; I got myself into so much trouble! And besides, you have so many qualities that I wish I had."

"Like what?"

"Like your optimism, your energy, the way you connect with people! You have to put this comparison thing out of your head. I love you, Blake, no matter what."

Blake's eyes welled up a little at her mother's words. "You love me?"

Holly grabbed her by the arms and smiled. "How could I not? You're so amazing!" She got up and picked up her suitcases, not wanting to pressure Blake in continuing down this emotional path for now. "Come with me! I'll show you to your room."

* * *

"So, what's the story between you and Roger?" Blake asked a little while later, while talking yet another T-Shirt out of her suitcase.

"What do you mean? We told you pretty much all there is to know already when we were in San Francisco," Holly replied, getting busy hanging Blake's clothes in the closet.

"I mean what's the story now? I can tell that something is going on between you two."

Holly turned to her daughter, holding a pair of jeans in mid-air. "Your father...do you mind if I call him that?"

Blake sat on the bed and smiled. "If it's easier for you, knock yourself out."

"That's settled then. As I was saying, your father is married."

"He told me he was separated. Look, Holly, I'm not a fool, I can see he still cares about you; I see the way he looks at you when you're not looking."

Holly blushed and joined her daughter on the bed, trying to decide how much she could tell her. "Of course your father cares about me. I care about him too. It's just that our history is so complicated, as you know, and I think that Roger is still in shock that you were out there all along and that he didn't know about it."

Blake narrowed her eyes pensively. "I see. Does he blame you for that?"

Holly smoothed the comforter in an unconscious effort to ease her nerves. That daughter of hers certainly knew how to ask the tough questions. "I don't think that he blames me exactly. I believe that he still finds it hard...you know what? I have NO idea what he thinks!"

They both looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Ah, men," Blake finally said.

"Who knows what's going on in that thick skull of theirs, right?" Holly added.

"You still love Roger, though, don't you?" Blake asked after a pause.

Holly was hit full force by the question, which was so direct that she couldn't find the words to deny it. The truth was written all over her face for Blake to see.

Blake whistled and said: "Oh boy, it's that bad, hey?"

Holly ran her hands through her hair and slowly walked to the door. She turned to Blake, putting a brave smile on her face. "It's pretty bad indeed, but there is nothing that I can do about it. I'll go start fixing dinner; make yourself at home, all right?"

She walked out, leaving Blake thinking about her last words. "There might be nothing that YOU can do, but the same can't be said for me," she murmured musingly.


	15. The Spice of Life

From that point on, Holly and Blake became much closer. They would not have been able to put a name on their relationship just yet, but definitely thought of each other as "family". Blake discovered that, besides her red hair, she had inherited from Holly her love of literature, of classical music and her complete inability to cook a decent meal. On her third night in Springfield, they both fearlessly tried to recreate Blake's adoptive mother's recipe for beef Wellington, only to laugh to tears at the result.

"Your mother sounded like an excellent cook," Holly said after ordering take-out from her favorite Indian place.

"Oh yeah! She was into organic food and made sure that I always ate lots of vegetables. The treasures of patience that she had to use with me, you wouldn't believe!"

Holly winked at her daughter. "I think I can picture it. I used to be a handful myself."

"Do you think that we would have gotten along when I was younger?"

Holly looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "You mean since we are a bit, uh, how shall I put it? - "

"Pig-headed?" Blake offered.

"Exactly. Since we're a bit pig-headed, I think that we would have gotten into some pretty epic fights, but I still would have taken my chances with the teenage Blake if I could have."

Blake sat at the table and filled her glass of wine while Holly put on some music. The young woman opened her mouth, and then bit her lips, unsure on how to bring about her next question. She finally put on her most innocent smile and asked casually: "You wouldn't mind if I asked Roger to come over, would you? There is going to be so much food; you know how it is with take-out!"

Holly went back to the table, filling her own glass and smirking at Blake. "Nice try, Blake."

"Oh, come on! I'm only here for two weeks, and I want to see you both everyday, not only every other day!"

Holly raised her hands in surrender, sighing. "You're right, that was selfish of me. You go and call him." Suddenly remembering that Roger didn't agree with spicy food, she added: "Don't tell him we're having Indian food, it'll be a surprise."

Blake walked to the phone and dialed her father's number. Roger picked up after the third ring, slightly out of breath.

"Hello?" he said loudly so as to cover the voices in the background.

"Roger? It's Blake, is this a good time?"

She could hear the smile in his voice as he answered. "You have picked the perfect timing, honey! I was about to call you. Jess and Ethan have just arrived from the Adirondacks and they are dying to meet you. Why don't you and Holly come over?"

Blake covered the receiver and excitedly broke the news to Holly, then replied to her father. "Listen, I was actually calling to invite you because we have just ordered take-out! Why don't you all come?"

"Sure, give us half-an-hour and we'll be there."

Blake hung up and turned to her mother. "Do I look okay? Should I change into something else? Oh my God, this is it; I'm going to meet them!" She ran to her room, then hurried back to the living room when she realized that her mother had stayed put. "Come on! You have to help me find something to wear!"

Holly laughed. "You're fine! Really, they are going to love you."

* * *

"All right, let's go in," Roger said, standing with Jessica and Ethan on Holly's porch a little while later.

Jessica took a few steps back, visibly frightened. "What if she doesn't like us?"

Ethan turned to her and answered calmly. "What's not to like? We're nice people!"

"Yes, but what if we just don't click? Sometimes people just don't get along!"

"Then it's going to be like between regular siblings," Ethan dead-panned. "I'm going in," he added, knocking and pushing the door open.

They were welcomed by the enticing smells emanating from the Indian food that Holly and Blake had just been laying out on the table. The two red-heads turned at the same time to welcome them, and their resemblance made even the composed Ethan stop in his tracks and gasp. "Wow," was all that he could manage to say for a while.

Jessica, despite all her efforts to remain quiet, couldn't refrain from running to her half-sister and hugging her, while bursting into tears. "This is so wonderful," she exclaimed between sobs, which made them all laugh.

The whole company spent the next few minutes embracing each other, shaking hands and wiping each other's tears away, before Holly invited them all to sit at the table for dinner. Roger looked at the food, then at Holly and mouthed "I hate Indian food," to which she silently replied with a satisfied smirk: "I know."

She picked up her glass and raised it: "To the kids. May you guys hit it off, or else!" They all laughed and raised their glass to hers. Then the three children started throwing questions at one another, eager to get to know each other better. Holly noticed with a private smile that they were all on their best behavior. Excellent, she thought; the bickering and the fighting will come soon enough anyway. She had been afraid at first that Blake's outspoken personality might overshadow Jessica's more introverted nature, but she could already see that her daughter was relishing in the protective role of the older and wiser sister, encouraging Jessica to give her opinion and to speak her mind.

Ethan, for his part, seemed to be amused by Blake's bubbliness and immediately ready to partake in her banter. As they were both cleaning out the table after the meal, Blake leaned to him and said teasingly: "So my brother and my sister are dating. How awkward is that?"

Ethan winked and replied: "It wasn't until YOU came along!"

Blake grinned and punched him lightly on the arm. "Touché!"

They didn't see Roger until he was right behind them, holding more dirty dishes and smiling. "I see that you guys have inherited your mother's sarcastic streak. Say, Ethan, why don't you show the riverbank to Blake? You'll be just in time to watch the sunset."

Ethan nodded and showed Blake through the backdoor while Jessica, who had heard her father, swiftly joined them outside. Roger watched them go down the hill for a few seconds before he joined Holly in the living room.

"More wine?" he asked, brandishing the bottle.

"Please," she said, holding up her glass.

Roger divided the rest of the bottle between them and sat on the couch, letting out a satisfied sigh. "I won't lie to you; I'm not sorry that this is over."

"Were you afraid that it might go terribly wrong? Because I was!" Holly said, stretching comfortably into her armchair.

"Me too, but they seem to get along well. I thought it might be a good idea to let them have some time to themselves, without the parents," Roger said, looking at Holly.

There was an awkward pause and then Roger resumed the conversation. "It seems like I haven't seen you in ages. What have you been up to?"

Holly refrained from telling him that he could see her every dawn day if he chose, and simply retorted that she had been working very hard in the last few weeks. "As a matter of fact, I was supposed to call you tomorrow, but you might as well know that we decided to go with BlueHorizon to supply computers for the station."

Roger beamed. "This is great news! I was afraid that our…disagreement might get in the way of that."

"Please, Roger, give me a little credit. Besides, if you must know, it was a joint decision between my partner, Ross Marler, and I. Your proposal was the best, and that's it." She took a sip and then added after a slight hesitation: "I guess this means that you'll be staying in Springfield for a while? Jessica will be pleased."

"I should be here for a least six more months. I really like Springfield, it's my home. I'll be sad to go," Roger said. Their eyes locked for a few seconds longer than necessary, and Roger was about to say something else when he was interrupted by the three young people coming noisily back in. He got up to meet them, letting the moment pass.

"Typical," Holly mumbled between her teeth before draining the rest of her glass.


	16. Kids Say the Darnest Things

Blake was at her father's door bright and early the next morning to meet him and Jessica for breakfast. They had agreed the day before that the two sisters would spend the day together while their parents were at work, and that they would all meet that night at the Towers for dinner.

The door opened to Jessica and the smell of hot waffles. "Come on in!" Jessica said, giving her quick hug and taking her purse. "You're just in time to taste Daddy's special: waffle with maple syrup, whipped cream and blueberries. You do like waffles, don't you?" she asked, suddenly worried.

"What's not to like?" Blake said, following her to the kitchen. They found their father putting the last plate of waffles on the table and helped themselves to coffee and orange juice.

"May this be the first of many breakfasts spent together" Roger said, feeling a bit emotional. They all sat down and started digging hungrily into their plates. "What are you girls going to do all day?"

Jessica washed a mouthful with a swig of coffee before answering. "I thought I'd show Blake around town. We might hit the beach later on also if the sun comes out."

"Is Ethan going to join you?"

"No, he's helping his dad clean his backyard for the Fourth of July. The Bauers always throw a big BBQ; you're all invited by the way. Ed and Maureen said that they can't wait to meet you, Blake."

"Sounds great!" Blake exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah, I heard it's really fun. There are going to be a lot of people your age too," Jessica said with a knowing glance. "And apparently, Ed can do a mean cheeseburger!"

"Better than mine?" Roger asked teasingly.

"You can challenge him and then we'll know."

Roger grinned mischievously. "Nah, I wouldn't want to antagonize your boyfriend's father."

"Sure, you wouldn't. That is so NOT your style," Jessica said laughingly.

Her father took another bite of waffle before asking if Holly would also be there.

Blake and Jessica glanced at each other for a split second before the latter answered: "Yes, of course."

"So I gather that Ed and Holly still get along even though they are divorced? That's nice." Roger remarked.

"They seem to be close friends. In fact, it looks like she has a lot of male friends, although I couldn't say for sure if some of them aren't interested in more than friendship," Jessica said innocently.

Blake took the hint and added: "Her phone has been ringing off the hook since I got in here. I wouldn't be surprised if she started dating someone seriously soon."

Roger smiled and took a long sip of coffee, then grabbed his empty plate and brought it to the dishwasher, while the girls eyed him expectantly. He took his sweet time before turning around to face them. "Ok, girls, I'll bite. Are you trying to tell me something?"

"I think that you should get back together with Holly," Blake stated bluntly while Jessica nodded in agreement.

Roger raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You certainly don't beat around the bush, young lady. What makes you think that this is a good idea?"

"Come on! I spent a whole week with you guys in San Francisco and I had to remind myself the whole time that you weren't a couple. You finish each other's sentences, for crying out loud!"

"And I see how you look at her, Daddy; you get all dreamy-eyed and fidgety, like you're in The Sound of Music or something. It's obvious that you're still into her," Jessica added earnestly.

Roger shook his head at Jessica. "First of all, I resent your mocking my attitude, and I can't even believe that I'm discussing this with you. Alright, Holly is a very attractive woman, we have a past together and it makes me a little nostalgic at times. Sue me! It doesn't mean that we should get back together. A lot of things have changed since then. I'm married, for example."

Jessica snorted. "Oh yeah, like that's a valid reason. You shouldn't be hiding behind Susan like this. I'm no fan, but still it's not fair to her."

Blake got up and went to her father. "Yes, Roger, why are you doing this? You know you don't love Susan anymore, and I would bet my life on the fact that you still love Holly. What's stopping you?"

Roger stared at the floor, reluctant to tell his daughters about his innermost doubts and fears. Blake gently nudged him at the waist. "Is it because of me? Because she gave me up?"

Her father raised his eyes and she could see that she was approaching the truth. She took a few steps back and put her hands on her waist. "Really? You're still mad at her about that? I can't believe this!"

"It's complicated, Blake."

"I don't think it is. Life is too short to hold a grudge, Roger, and it's as simple as that. What are you waiting for? For her to meet someone else, or to get sick, or to get into an accident and die?" Blake asked, her eyes suddenly tearing up. "Get over yourself and your silly ideas, Roger, and grab your chance at being happy while you can."

Roger reached out for Blake's hand and pulled into his arms. "I know that your mother didn't mean to hurt me, sweetie, but she did. I don't know if I can ever be able to trust her again, and that's what stopping me."

Meanwhile, Jessica drummed her fingers on the table, also getting annoyed by her father's reasoning. "Dad, when people love someone, they give them a second chance. That's what love is about. Don't you think I was scared to let you get close to me again after you came back from the CIA? Don't you think that I was mad at you for leaving in the first place? Yes, you remember those first few months when you returned; I was royally pissed at you. But then I forgave you, because I loved you and I wanted you into my life."

Roger sighed and looked at his two daughters, who were staring back at him, waiting for his next argument, and that's when he realized that he had finally ran out of excuses.

"So what you're saying is that I've been acting like an idiot, basically?"

"Pretty much."

"Kind of."

Roger held out his free arm to Jessica and she joined them by the kitchen sink. "To tell you the truth, I have been suspecting as much since I came back from San Francisco. I've been missing her like crazy, but I just don't know what to do about it. She won't talk to me if you're not around."

"You have to woe her!" Jessica said, her romantic side getting excited. "Like in that scene by the gazebo when Captain Von Trap tells Maria that he loves her! You can start tonight at the Towers!"

"Jessica's right, there no time to lose. Skip the singing and dancing though," Blake concluded.


	17. Perfect to Me

Sitting at the table with Jessica, Blake and Ethan, Roger felt like he was waiting for his prom date. He glanced at his watch and realized with a sinking at heart that Holly was officially late. Blake caught his look and leaned in to whisper in his ear: "She'll be here; I called her an hour ago and she told me it was still on."

Roger grumbled and forced himself to study his menu. After a few seconds, Ethan looked around at the entrance and waved: "Ah, there she is! Mom, over here!"

Roger hurriedly looked up and frowned. He hadn't planned on Holly entering with a man on her arm. The couple stood by the entrance for a few minutes, chatting animatedly, which gave Roger time to observe them. Holly literally shined in a golden silk dress, the fabric of which delicately hugged her curves. The man by her side had the look of the attractive intellectual, with sober glasses and hair graying in all the right places. Roger had to admit begrudgingly to himself that he was rather handsome. He turned to Blake and saw that she was also looking at her mother and frowning, which did nothing to calm his apprehensions.

Holly finally said goodbye and joined them at the table, apologizing for being late. Roger had made sure to leave an empty seat beside him, so she that she had no choice but to sit between him and Ethan. She kissed her son on the cheek before explaining: "I ran into Ross by the elevator and we had to talk shop. He'll come over to meet you later, Roger."

Roger quickly searched his brains, trying to remember where he had heard that name before, and then smiled broadly. "Ah! You mean your business partner! I'll be glad to meet him. I understand that I owe him my new contract."

"Well, I had a bit to do with that too, but yes, he was very enthusiastic about BlueHorizon," Holly said, grabbing a menu before the waiter arrived.

They ordered and then Holly looked at Blake across the table and exclaimed admiringly. "I think that this is the first time that I ever saw you out of those blue jeans of yours. This dress is very becoming!"

Blake looked down at the short black dress, which exposed her shoulders and smiled self-consciously. "Do you like it? I borrowed it from Jess, since I didn't have anything that was dressed up enough for tonight."

"You look great," Jessica said; glad that she could do something for her older sister.

"I think I could get used to that look," Blake retorted with a wink while scanning through the crowd. Her eyes rested on a tall young man sitting at the bar, with curly brown hair and big blue eyes. She leaned to Ethan and asked: "Who's that guy sitting alone at the bar?"

Ethan turned around to have a look and then replied: "That's my half-brother, Rick."

"Really? You should ask him to join us!" Blake said, glancing at Rick with renewed interest.

Ethan followed her glance suspiciously. "Why?"

"What do you mean, why? Because he's all alone at the bar, and it's a brotherly thing to do!" Blake retorted innocently.

Ethan shook his head with a smile. "Oh no, no, no. You are not going after my brother, Blake."

"Why not? You're dating sister and I'm fine with it. Who do you think I am anyway? The Wicked Witch of the West?"

"No, but you're a firecracker alright. Rick is a down-to-earth kind of guy, he needs someone more low-key. Besides, he's going through a bad break-up, so he's definitely not interested in dating right now."

"Fine," Blake said with a sigh. She realized that dating her brother's brother was probably not a good idea, but under her laid-back attitude and her casual clothes, Blake was somewhat of a flirt. She certainly wouldn't have minded having a little adventure before she went back to the West coast. She scanned the room once again and noticed two or three interesting looking men and made a note to investigate them later. Her attention was then drawn back to her parents. She discovered with a sinking heart that they were both chatting with Jessica and Ethan instead of with each other. The meal went by in that fashion, Holly neither seeking nor avoiding Roger's attention.

As the evening went by, couples slowly started to occupy the dance floor at the far end of the restaurant. As Roger was bracing himself to ask Holly for a dance, waiting for the right song, Ross stopped by as promised to greet his new supplier.

He extended his hand to Roger and asked him to call him Ross. "I can't wait to get my hands on these computers of yours. WSPR really needs to upgrade its equipment."

"I guess we should be ready to come in the next few weeks. We'll have to work on wiring the place first thought."

"Of course," Holly said, joining the conversation. The three of them continued to talk; Holly and Ross describing the station and Roger estimating the time it might take to get the job done. Meanwhile, Blake pretended to listen to Jessica and Ethan, who were busy comparing their last semester's results, while she eyed Ross distrustfully. After a few minutes, Ross turned to her and addressed her warmly. "I'm glad to finally meet you! Your mother has told me a lot about you, but I have to say that the resemblance is even more striking that I would ever have imagined."

Blake replied politely but coolly. She didn't like that her mother had a good-looking man for a partner and she was afraid that he might ruin her father's chances by being around. As if on cue, the first notes from Al Green's "Perfect to me" echoed through the room, and before Roger could open his mouth, Ross had taken Holly by the hand and whisked her on the dance floor.

_Another year has come and gone  
But my love for you keeps on and on and on  
You're perfect to me, no matter whatever seems  
You're everything that's on my mind_

Roger slowly got up and walked to the bar, in need of a drink and never letting the couple out of his sight. Like his daughter, he could feel that there was some kind of personal connection between Holly and Ross, but couldn't define the nature of it. He watched Holly smile at some comment that Ross had just made, and his eyes then rested on Ross's hand, cradling Holly's waist. He took a long drink of his scotch and finally averted his eyes, the sight of them driving him crazy.

_And I did love you, one hundred years or more  
You're everything that I love so  
My devotion to you, more than you can stand  
And I, I, I believe in loving the whole morning_

What he couldn't pinpoint was this: for a couple of years, Holly and Ross had been lovers. Neither of them had been willing to give their heart fully at the time, and so the affair had never turned into something more, but the two remained closer than mere friends, which made their old intimacy palpable. Ross had by now rekindled his stormy romance with the mother of his child, Vanessa Chamberlain, and was making Holly smile by asking her if she was about to do the same with her own first flame.

_You're perfect to me, more than my eyes can see  
You know something, you're the only thing  
That's on, on my mind_

_As long as I live, I'll have love to give  
I don't just get that now, I'll always be 'round  
I'll always be 'round, closer 'round here_

The lyrics sank into Roger's heart, word by word, filling him with the urge to wrench Holly away from her dancing partner. He couldn't lose her to somebody else, not now.

_You're perfect to me  
I don't care what anybody else see, no, no  
You're the only thing that's on my mind_

On the dance floor, Holly held on tight to Ross and glanced over his shoulder, looking for Roger and not finding him at their table. She finally spotted him by the bar, and was once again blown away by the force of her attraction to him. She clenched her teeth and forced herself to look away; Roger had been very clear about where they stood and there was no point in harbouring any hopes.

_I love you, baby, I'd walk the floor at night  
Holding my arms tight, baby, now they don't feel better than this  
I don't live no better than you, I love you, baby  
I don't like fuss it's creatin'_

Roger finished his drink and couldn't resist glancing Holly's way once last time before going back to their table. From across the room, she felt his eyes on her and looked up, gazing straight back at him and rooting him to the spot.

_It's all I gotta say, it's all I gotta say  
All I gotta say, I love you, baby  
It's all I gotta say, somebody understand here  
I said something and it's all I gotta say_

The last notes of the song still resonating into the room, the couples broke away from each other and cheered the orchestra. Holly and Ross lingered on the dance floor, finishing their conversation.

Blake stood to meet her father by their table, wanting a word with him before they joined the others. "I'm sure there's nothing between them. She would have told me."

"I guess. Still, I'd feel more secure if he was bald and fat. He's handsome, isn't he?"

"For someone your age, yes, I guess. I like them younger," Blake said, winking.

"Of course, you do, but your mother doesn't, and she doesn't seem very inclined to take me back into her good graces either." Roger said sheepishly.

"Did you really think that a little conversation by the dance floor was all that it would take? No, no, no. You need to go for the grand gesture; it's the only way to get her to believe that you really want her back."

"Like what? What can I do?"

A mischievous spark flew from Blakes' eyes. "You let me worry about that. You, on the other hand, have to make sure that you get that divorce back on track."

"Oh yeah, that," Roger replied, suddenly looking somber. He glanced back at their table and noticed that Jessica was trying discreetly but desperately to attract his attention. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her and she silently pointed her chin at the entrance of the room. Roger turned to follow her gaze and cursed under his breath. A gorgeous brunette was standing in the doorway, apparently searching the room with her eyes.

Blake caught her father's panicked look and also glanced at the door. "Oh my God, is this who I think it is?"

Roger sighed. "Yep, that's Susan."

* * *

To FebWriter, who gets inspired by songs that she likes. When I ran across "Perfect to me" I knew I had to use it.


	18. You Can't Always Get What You Want

Susan eventually spotted Roger and crossed the room to meet him, her midnight blue halter dress swaying about her willowy frame. Blake took one look at her fake smile and decided that her father was on his own for this one, and she walked to her mother who was still standing on the dance floor with Ross, unaware of Roger's wife's arrival. Blake figured that she would be more useful by her mother's side if there was any damage control to be done. She was soon joined by Ethan, who had been filled in by Jessica of the recent turn of events.

Holly met her children with a smile but was quickly alarmed by their glum faces. "Did something happen?" she said, instinctively glancing in Roger's direction. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of the dark-haired beauty tiptoeing in front of Roger, evidently asking for a kiss.

"I see," she added, averting her eyes.

"We had no idea that she would show up in Springfield. Do you want us to go?" Ethan said; ready to take his mother home.

Holly forced a smile on her lips. "Why would I leave? Roger has every right to bring his wife for a night out on the town."

"Wait, this guy is married?" Ross asked, confused. "I thought you and him..." his voice trailed off when he saw the hurt on Holly's face. He suddenly liked Roger less.

"He didn't know that she was coming," Blake coming to her father's defense vehemently.

"And yet there she is. I guess I should go introduce myself. You guys stay here; I won't be long," Holly said calmly.

Holly marched resolutely toward the couple standing by their table, secretly praying not to trip on her way over. She plastered a smile on her face as she approached them. Roger turned to meet her, wishing that he could be six feet under, while Susan gave her the once over.

When it came to men and relationships, Susan was as shrewd as they come. She could immediately sense the chemistry between Roger and Holly, and knew for a fact that the red head was the reason behind Roger's renewed efforts to get a speedy divorce. She stood clinging to her husband while shaking Holly's hand.

"So you're Ethan's mother. How nice to meet you!" she said in a falsely delighted voice.

"Same here. I've heard so much about you; Roger simply won't talk about anyone else," Holly replied with a hint of sarcasm that wasn't lost on either Roger or Susan. The latter blushed with irritation.

Knowing that he would probably pay for it later, Roger couldn't help adding: "Not only is Holly the mother of Ethan, she and I used to date some twenty years ago. How crazy is that?" he said to Susan, nudging her in the ribs with unnecessary force.

"Is that so? How...convenient," Susan replied, looking like she had just swallowed a lemon. She looked past Holly to Ethan and Jessica standing on the dance floor, and noticed a young red head besides them, glaring back at her.

"Is that your daughter standing next to Jessica? She looks like a younger version of you," Susan added in a scathing tone.

"Oh, she's my daughter alright," Holly replied, looking at Roger intently. He shook his head imperceptibly, pleading her with his eyes to keep silent for now. He wasn't ready to handle a scene in the middle of the Towers, especially for Blake's sake. "Why don't you and I go back home? We have a lot of catching up to do," he said to his wife, his tone implying that it was a command, not a suggestion.

"Fine, I can't wait to get out of that dress anyway," Susan said, shooting one last poisoned arrow at her rival before turning on her heels.

Roger looked at Holly and raised his shoulders helplessly, but Holly only shook her head with disgust and walked away.

* * *

"Are you sure that you don't mind if I sleep over, Holly?" Jessica asked an hour later at Holly's house.

"Not at all, you can sleep with Blake. Just let your father know where you are, okay?" Holly said in a tired tone before sitting on the couch next to her son.

"Thanks! I'll call him," Jessica replied while going to meet Blake in her room.

Once they were alone, Ethan put a comforting arm around his mother's shoulders. "Tough night?"

Holly gazed at him fondly then shook her head with a smile. "You could say that; but I really shouldn't be discussing this with you. I should be calling a girlfriend and ranting about men!"

"I'm not a child anymore, Mom. I know that you care about Roger, and that he cares about you too, only it's wasn't right for him to come after you if he's married. He shouldn't have led you on."

Holly ran a hand on her son's cheek then put her head on his shoulder. "He hasn't led me on. There's nothing going on between us, Ethan. He might have been interested at some point, but not anymore, he was very clear about that."

"Are you sure? He didn't look like a guy that wasn't interested tonight," Ethan remarked with a frown, recalling the way Roger had stared at his mother yearningly all evening. He made a mental note to quiz his girlfriend about her father's feelings. As a rule, he and Jessica steered clear of that topic, but he could see that the situation was taking a toll on his mother and became determined to help her trough it.

"Whatever his feelings are, the fact remains that he's still married, and it looks like he will stay that way," Holly said broodingly after a few minutes.

"You're right. Don't let him have his way with you if he's taken," Ethan said earnestly.

Holly glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, and burst out laughing. "You are the cutest son I could ever ask for, you know that? If you ever have a daughter, I know that she'll be in very good hands with you."

Ethan blushed and mumbled: "I don't want him to take advantage of you."

"I know, and I'm ever so grateful for it! Now, speaking of not taking advantage of people, you should get home now. You're not sleeping here tonight, not with Jessica in the other room."

Ethan got up, stretching his long body. "Fine, I don't care for the couch anyway. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will." She walked him to the door and locked it behind him, then slowly banged her head against it. "Please, somebody take this mess away!" she muttered to herself. She took a deep breath, turned off the lights and went to bed.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Roger burst into his apartment, throwing his jacket on a chair near the door. "You could have least called!" He shouted to his wife, who was following behind him.

Susan closed the door carefully before facing her husband. "Aren't you glad to see me?" she asked with a satisfied smirk.

"You know I'm not. If I had my way, I'd never see you again." He loosened his black tie and sat on the couch, burying his head in his hands in frustration.

Susan slowly walked up to him, then kneeled and put her hands on each side of his thighs. "Don't you want me anymore?" she asked in a small voice. Roger raised his head and took a long look at her. She was still as attractive as when he had met her, with her big blue eyes, her full lips and her luscious hair. Her kneeling position gave him a clear view of a cleavage that he had once found irresistible. His mind took him back to a certain trip they had taken in Bora Bora…He then shook his head, knowing deep down inside that the days when he had truly desired her were long gone.

"It's over, Susan," he replied softly.

She got up and smoothed her dress, her face hardening. "It's because of that woman, isn't it?"

"Our marriage was over long before Holly came back into my life and you know it."

"Still, if it wasn't from her, we might have a chance."

"No, we wouldn't. I want out, Susan, even if I end up alone for the rest of my days."

Hurt registered on Susan's face. "That's harsh, even for you, Roger."

He shrugged and went to the bar to fix himself a drink. "I wouldn't be this mean to you if you would have agreed to let me go two years ago. But no, you had to keep me on a leash, even though you damn well know that I don't love you anymore."

Susan reached him in two steps, snatched away the glass of scotch that he was about to bring to his lips and emptied it in two big gulps. When she was done, she put it on the bar with a loud thud. "Yes, I know you don't love me anymore, and how do you think that makes me feel? Do you think that I liked walking in on you staring mushily at that woman! You love her, don't you?"

"Yes."

"You make me sick."

"I'm sorry about that, but I can't help it." Roger took a few steps back, placing himself carefully out of her way before resuming. "There is something else that you should know, something that I found out a few weeks ago."

Susan sneered while refilling her glass. "What? You two have a love child together?" She snorted at her own comment before taking another sip.

"The red head that you saw on the dance floor. She's my daughter," Roger retorted, not skipping a beat.

Susan eye's widened in shock as she choked on her mouthful of scotch. "I was joking!" she said when finally able to speak again.

"I'm not. I have a daughter with Holly and her name is Blake. You saw her yourself tonight." He ducked just in time to avoid the glass she threw at his head. There was a loud crash behind him as it smashed against the marble floor.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Susan said in a dangerously low voice.

"Holly and I had broken up by the time she found out that she was pregnant, and she gave her up for adoption. We only traced her back a few weeks ago. I had no idea that she even existed before that," Roger said, imperturbable.

"Oh well, that's just peachy! How do you even know she's yours?"

"I know she is. I trust Holly," Roger answered, realizing how much he meant those words as he was uttering them. "I trust her," he repeated.

Susan stared at him for long time, motionless, then walk up to her purse. She took out a bunch of papers and a pen and threw them on the bar. "Fine, then, have it your way. Here are the divorce papers. Knock yourself out," she said as she leaned down to sign them herself.

Roger approached her and looked over her shoulder, not daring to believe she was telling the truth. "You mean you're granting me the divorce?"

She turned around and handed him the papers. "Yes."

"And you ask nothing in return?" he asked, suspicious.

"Only that we take care of this as quickly as possible."

Roger took the papers to the couch and skimmed through them. They looked genuine. "What's in it for you Susan? It's not like you to be so accommodating."

Susan ran a hand through her hair and leaned against the bar. "Well, if you must know, I met someone else, and he wants to marry me. He loves me, you see, and he wants us to be together as soon as possible."

Now it was Roger's turn to stare at her in amazement. "Why the hell didn't you say so sooner?" he finally bellowed, thinking of the unnecessary humiliation he had been put through earlier in front of Holly.

"Because it was much more fun to see you squirm in front of that woman, no wait, scratch that, in front of the mother of your child."

"You're vicious."

Susan blushed in anger and screamed at him: "I'm not vicious! I love you, and I wanted to see if there was still a chance for us." She took a deep breath and calmed down. "I see now that it's not the case, so I might as well take my chance at love elsewhere. He's certainly cuter that you are."

"And richer too, I'll bet," Roger said, signing the papers.

"Yeah, that too." She snatched the papers away from him and put them in her purse.

She took a last look at him. "So long, Roger, I hope you'll come to regret this as much as I," she said wistfully, before closing the door behind her.

Roger stood in the middle of the living room with mixed feelings. It was never his intention to hurt Susan, but he could see that he had and it grieved him. On the other hand, there was no place for her in his new life and the quicker she moved on, the better.

His thoughts then turned to Holly and a sparkle gleamed in his eyes. He was now free to try and win her back. "Let's just hope I'm not too late," he said aloud before heading to his bedroom.


	19. Executive Meeting at Company

"No way, count me out of this!" Ethan said, fanning himself with a napkin and shaking his head at Jessica and Blake.

The three of them were sitting in a corner booth at Company in the stifling heat of this early July day, finishing their brunch. Holly had declined their invitation to join them and had decided stayed home with a good book and a pot of black coffee. She still needed some time alone to process the events of the night before.

"Why not?" Blake asked, exasperated by what she thought was a lack of guts on her brother's part.

"It's one thing to encourage them to talk to each other about their feelings, but this plan is an entire new ball game. I'm not going to meddle into my mother's love life that way. It's wrong and besides, it's grossing me out."

Blake raised an eyebrow and turned to Jessica. "Gee, has he always been that romantic?"

Jessica circled her boyfriend's waist and cuddled against him. "Come on, honey, you're helping us, and that's that. Besides, if Holly and Dad end up getting back together and move into the same house, think of all the sleepovers that we'll have!" Ethan slowly grinned as he pictured the possibilities, while Blake covered her ears. "Now I'm the one that's grossed out!"

The young man took a sip of his coffee and drummed his fingers on the table, thinking. "Ok, I'm in, but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to change some of the details, because your plan is stupid."

"What's so stupid about it?" Jessica retorted, vexed by her boyfriend's reaction.

"Do you really think that my mom will get all romantic with your dad at the Bauer cabin? Who knows what she did with MY dad in there!"

"But we need to get them to some place that's remote!" Blake exclaimed.

"Roger certainly seems to know his own mind; why don't we let him pick a spot? He grew up here, he should know of a good place," Ethan replied.

"Fine, I'll ask him later," Jessica said.

"And another thing; before we go through with this, we need to make sure that Roger gets that divorce," Ethan added.

"But it might take months, or years!" Jessica whined, while Blake nodded emphatically.

"All the more reason for him to stay away from Mom until then. If he can't make an honest woman out of her in the end, then I don't see what's the point of all this."

"Aren't you old-fashioned?" Blake said sarcastically, even though deep down inside she totally agreed with her brother.

"I'm not old-fashioned; I just think that Mom deserves a man that will be all hers. Don't you girls want the same thing for her and for yourself for that matter? What would you say, Jess, if I was dating you while being married to somebody else?"

Jessica played with her scrambled eggs and then said sheepishly: "I'd go postal."

"Exactly. So, we all agree to wait until Roger is free? I don't believe that he would go through with this if he knew he was stuck with Susan anyway. He wouldn't do that to Mom."

"Argh, you're so good, it's infuriating! But you're right, there's no point in doing this now. This is such a bummer, though! I have to go back in less than a week and I so hoped to see them together before I left," Blake sighed.

"And to think that we have to stall our plan because of Susan," Jessica added, making a face.

"I know, right! She can't hold a candle to Holly if you ask me," Blake said.

"Did you see her dress? So trashy!"

"And she was wearing way too much make-up!"

Ethan let the girls talk for a few more seconds before waving a hand in front of their faces. "Whoa ladies, time out! You are really tearing the poor lady to shreds. No need to be so nasty!"

"What? Don't tell me that you're actually taking her side against your own mother? She's keeping Daddy from getting a divorce just out of spite!" Jessica said to her boyfriend irritably.

"Did you ever stop to think that she might be doing it out of love?" Ethan retorted.

The girls glanced at each other, feeling vaguely ashamed, but only for a second. Blake took a last bite from her toast and got up. She turned to Ethan and said: "Fine, you might be right, I'll grant you that, but I'm done being lectured by you for today. I'm going shopping; Jess, are you in? I need to find a dress like the one you let me borrow last night.

Jessica extracted herself from the booth and kissed her boyfriend on the way. "See you tonight at the BBQ, honey!"

They both waved at Ethan laughingly as they exited the restaurant. Ethan grumbled between his teeth but blew a kiss to Jessica anyway as he saw her pass by the window.

* * *

The two girls came back a couple of hours later to Roger's apartment, holding several bags. Jessica struggled with her key before letting both of them in. As soon as she was inside, she shouted: "Happy Fourth of July, Dad!"

Roger emerged from his study, a broad smile on his face. "Well, well, what a pleasant surprise! Happy Fourth to you too, ladies," he said as he kissed both of them of the cheek.

Blake dropped her bags by the couch and looked around before asking if Susan was there. Roger's smile disappeared and he asked his daughters to sit with him.

"This is no secret to you that Susan and I have been unhappy for quite a while now," he thus began. Blake and Jessica nodded wordlessly; eager to hear the rest.

Roger cleared his throat and continued. "She came back here last night to have a talk, and we both agreed in the end that it would be best if we got a divorce. We signed the papers and she left for New York immediately after."

Seeing their father so somber, the girls refrained from jumping with joy, but allowed themselves a secret smile as soon as Roger looked the other way. "So this is it! I'm single again," he concluded, finally smiling himself.

Jessica squeezed his hands in hers. "And your first night out as a single man will be tonight, at the Bauer BBQ! It will get your mind off of things; just what the doctor Bauer ordered!" She got up, laughing at her own joke, and headed to her room to call Ethan.

Blake stayed behind with her father and observed him for a few seconds before commenting: "I thought you'd be happier than this, being finally free of her."

Roger winked at her. "I'm ecstatic, but it will take a few more hours before the penny finally drops. It's always sad when a relationship ends; even it's for the best. In this case, I think that it was doomed from the start."

"What made her change her mind?"

"I think that you were the last straw. Holly certainly didn't help either."

Blake laughed. "I kind of like being the last straw, given the circumstances. Well, now that it's done, will you do something about Holly already? We're dying here!"

Roger shot her a puzzled look. "What are you talking about? Whose "we"?"

"Jess, Ethan and I! Well, mostly Jess and I, but still, we all came up with this great plan to help you win her back!"

"Ah, the famous grand gesture!"

"Exactly. We need your help to put the final touches though. Hear me out, and tell me what you think," Blake said before exposing their idea to Roger.

* * *

In the other room, Jessica dialed the Bauer's number. Maureen picked up the phone, shouting to cover the noise that could be heard in the kitchen.

"Johnny, Rick, stop that racket, will you?! I'm trying to talk on the phone here!" She continued in a normal voice: "Bauer's residence!"

"Hi Maureen, it's Jessica. Is Ethan there?"

"Hi Jess, he must be in the backyard somewhere. Hold on a second."

Jessica could hear her ask Michelle to be a darling and to go fetch her brother. She then picked up the receiver again while they were waiting. "You're still coming tonight, are you?"

"Of course, with Dad and Blake, and Holly will meet us there too."

"Excellent! Wait, Ethan's here. See you tonight!"

Ethan's voice then resonated through the phone. "Hey baby, what's up?"

"It's on."

"What's on?"

"The plan! The plan is on! Dad just told us he got a divorce from Susan last night!"

"No way!" Ethan said, finally getting excited by this whole parent trap idea.

"Way! Brace yourself; it's happening tonight!"


	20. Grillin' and Chillin' Part 1

Holly could hear the voices of the crowd gathered in the Bauer's backyard long before she actually reached it. As she expected, the place was packed with most of her friends, coworkers and acquaintances from Springfield. She stopped by the entrance to say hello to Gilly and Hamp, already munching on burgers, and stepped back just in time to avoid being run over by Michelle, Little Billy and Ben, engrossed in a game of hide-and-seek.

As she made her way toward her hosts, she smiled as she noticed Bridget, Kat, Julie and David, who had claimed the pool and were looking enviously at their older acquaintances having already reached the legal age for drinking. She also crossed paths with the whole Cooper clan, Harley, Mallet, Frank, Eleni, Buzz and Jenna, busy bringing in assorted cakes and pies from the Diner. Finally reaching the far end of the yard, Holly just had time to kiss Maureen and Ed on the cheek before the latter climbed of a chair and banged against a pot with a wooden spoon to gather his guests' attention.

"Greetings everybody! First of all, let me begin by wishing you a very happy Fourth of July. Maureen and I are thrilled that you guys could be with us today for our traditional BBQ. This year, however, there will be a slight change of plan, which I hope you will all enjoy. I'm happy to announce-"

Loud thuds could suddenly be heard from the house, abruptly interrupting Ed's speech. The kitchen backdoor then opened with a bang, revealing the Lewises who greeted the crowd with their typical enthusiasm and loudness. Billy came in first, heaving a portable BBQ, followed by Josh and Nadine, carrying meat. Reva came in third, holding Shayne and followed by Marah, chirping away at everyone who looked her way. HB closed the march, nodding at his friends, sporting his usual white jacket, a Stenson in his hands.

Once the commotion had died down, Ed clanged against the pot once again. "What I was going to say, before the Lewises here stole my thunder, was that I invited them over this year to hold a joint BBQ. So, on top of my famous burgers, you will all be able to enjoy Billy's incredible ribs, the reputation of which had reached us all the way from Tulsa, Oklahoma," he added good-humouredly.

Maureen grabbed Ed by the arm and hoisted herself on the chair. "Have fun, everybody!"

People cheered before forming lines to both BBQs, eager to sample what each had to offer. Holly found herself right behind Blake and Jessica.

"Hey, Holly, I was wondering when you'd get here! Nice dress," Blake said, looking admiringly at Holly's strapless white summer dress.

"Sorry I'm late, I had errands to run," Holly lied. The truth was that she had spent all afternoon trying on different outfits, wanting to look her best in front of Roger, and Susan too, if she was being perfectly honest. "Where's Ethan?" she asked, looking around.

Jessica pointed at the front of the line. "He's on duty for the next hour. He'll be a master at flipping burgers by the time the night is over. Rick and Johnny will probably take over afterwards."

Holly hesitated and then inquired if Roger was also coming. Blake replied that he was on his way, while Jessica bit her lips. Not telling Holly about the divorce was pure torture to her, but she succeeded in keeping her promise to her father that she would let him break the news himself. Their turn coming up at the BBQ, they all held their plates to Ed and Ethan, who dumped burgers onto them, and then parted ways.

Holly headed to greet her co-workers, Johnny and Chelsea, and interrupted them in the midst of rehearsing a romantic duet they were planning on performing later. "Love is a many-splendored thing, isn't it?" a voice behind her said. She turned around to discover Rick, looking broodingly at the couple.

"You don't look so convinced," she replied, observing her former step-son. "Are you alright?"

"I guess you heard that Mindy and I are through?" he said, pointing his chin at the petite blonde, who was standing next to Beth and Lillian. "I really thought she was the one, you know, and I wish I knew where I went wrong."

"Come on, pal, stop assuming everything is your fault all the time. How about the relationship failed because Mindy is a spoiled little princess? A lovely one, I'll grant you that, but still spoiled rotten. I should know, I was married to her," Phillip Spaulding exclaimed, suddenly materializing next to Holly and Rick. "Cheer up, I could see your long face from over there, and that means that Mindy can see it too."

"Easy for you to say, you have Beth and the baby, while I'm back at Square One."

"Don't think of it as Square One, but as the Square of Endless Opportunities. There are plenty of beautiful single ladies here tonight, starting with Holly, looking enchanting as always."

Holly and Rick both started laughing, the latter feeling cheered up by his best friend's teasing.

"Is Alex going to be here tonight?" Holly inquired to Phillip after a few seconds.

"Are you kidding me? Alan-Michael and I are the only Spauldings able to handle finger food. Alex is home probably snacking on caviar as we speak, but she does sends her love to all of you. Fletcher abandoned her for the night, but I can't blame him; it's much more fun here. Hey Fletcher!" he said, waving to the reporter. Fletcher took no notice; as he was too busy scolding his son for squeezing ketchup down Bridget's bikini.

"Alright, let's find you a new queen, Rick. See you later, Holly!" Phillip said, taking his friend by the elbow and dragging him away.

Needing a break from the roisterers, Holly slowly wandered back into the house. She headed to the kitchen sink, in dire need of a cool drink. She was busy rummaging through the cabinets for a glass when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"You look…exquisite tonight."

Her heart skipped a beat. She turned around to find Roger standing in the kitchen door, a smile playing on his lips.

* * *

Before Holly could answer, Ross and Vanessa erupted into the kitchen, hands all over each other's. Oblivious to the fact they weren't alone, they continued to heavily make out, leaning against the table, before Roger loudly cleared his throat. The couple hurriedly stepped apart, looking flustered.

"Oh my, how embarrassing," Vanessa cried, turning a deep shade of crimson.

"We didn't know we had company," Ross added, smoothing his shirt.

"Obviously," Holly stated sarcastically.

They all stared at each other awkwardly before Vanessa turned to Ross. "Shall we get back to the party?" She asked in her usual composed manner, as if nothing had happened.

"Great idea, I need a drink," her lover replied. Holly winked at Roger and followed them outside before he could hold her back. He sighed, wondering if she was avoiding him because she was afraid that Susan might show up, or because she had simply decided that he wasn't worth the wait.

He then laughed silently as he replayed Ross and Vanessa's very passionate display of affection a few moments ago. At least he knew for certain now that Ross was no competition; that's was a start.


	21. Grillin' and Chillin' Part 2

Roger made his way outside the house, determined to find Holly and to let her know that he and Susan had definitely parted ways the night before. Before he could spot her, however, he was accosted by Ed, wearing a bloody apron and holding a sharp knife.

"Hi, there! Enjoying yourself I hope?" Ed said, shaking Roger's hand.

"I am; thank you for inviting me. You sure know how to celebrate our nation's birthday!"

"We're happy to have you and Jessica with us, and Blake too. Jessica introduced us a few minutes ago. I have to say that her resemblance to her mother threw me for a loop for a minute. It was like standing in front of the Holly of my youth…" He looked at Roger and his voice trailed off. He cleared his throat before resuming. "Well, you know what I mean." He looked around, as if searching for someone. "Is your wife here with you? I heard she was in town."

Roger cocked his head on the side, trying to decide if he should disclose the news to Holly's ex-husband. He decided that it couldn't hurt. "Actually, Susan and I are no longer an item since last night."

Ed raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"It was a long time coming, so it didn't come as a shock to either of us, or to Jessica. Blake and she are the only ones I've told for now, so I'd appreciate if you could keep it under wraps until…" Roger stammered, afraid he had said too much already.

"Until what?" Ed asked, suspecting the answer.

Roger sighed. "Until I tell Holly."

Ed gazed at him for a few seconds, and then beckoned him to the kitchen so that they could continue their conversation in private. "Listen, the last thing I mean to do is to meddle in your affairs, but I'd like to know, as Holly's friend, what your intentions are when it comes to her?"

Roger frowned, feeling annoyed by what he perceived as interference from an ex-husband rather than concern from a friend. "I'm sorry but this is indeed private. No offense, but I don't see why I should discuss my love life with you."

"So you do love her?" Ed replied, ignoring Roger's rebuff.

Roger looked back at Ed defiantly and said: "Yes, I love her. I don't think I've ever stopped loving her, as a matter of fact."

"And I've often wondered if she ever stopped loving you, so don't hurt her okay? She was devastated enough the first time around. I should know; I'm the one that got her back on her feet."

Something flashed in Ed's eyes. Was it regret? The vision was gone before Roger could put a name on it.

"I don't think that I've ever had a fair chance at being really happy with her, and I suspect that this is your doing. In the end, it all turned out for the best in my case, because I ended up meeting Maureen. I just hope that Holly will have her happy ending too; she deserves it."

Roger's expression softened, as he finally became convinced that Ed only had Holly's happiness at heart. "Nothing would make me happier than to be able to give it to her."

Suddenly remembering Jessica plea that he shouldn't antagonize her father-in-law, Roger added for good measure before he went back outside: "Thanks for the advice Ed, I appreciate it."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the backward, Blake was fixing a cheeseburger to her brother, who was finally off BBQ-duty. "What would you like in it?"

"Everything that you can pack in there. I'm famished."

Blake laughed and dumped a bit of everything she could find over the meatball. "So, are you going to introduce me to some of your friends?"

Ethan shrugged and took a humongous bite out of his burger. "What's the point, you're leaving in four days," he answered after he finally managed to swallow it down.

"Exactly, I'm not leaving TONIGHT, am I? So why don't you finish this monster and show me around a little. Aren't you proud of your brand new sister?"

"Oh, alright! It won't be said that the Bauer's can't show their guests a good time," he declared, cramming the last half of the burger into his mouth and getting up. He looked around him musingly and his eyes rested on Alan-Michael Spaulding and Dylan Lewis, who were chatting by the kitchen door. "Alright, these two will do I guess. Come with me," he said to Blake.

"Hey, Ethan, how's med school going for you?" Alan-Michael said as he saw his relative approach him. They shook hands before Ethan pushed his sister forward, right between Dylan and Alan-Michael. "I love it, thanks. So guys, I'd like to introduce you to Blake. As you probably have heard, it turns out that I have a big sister!"

The two young men stared at the red-head with undisguised interest. Blake beamed at both of them, aware that her smile was one of her best features and not afraid to use it.

"Yes, we heard about that, but nobody said how pretty she was," Dylan said, smiling at Blake.

"Would you like something to drink?" Alan-Michael added, determined not to be left out of the conversation.

"I'd love to," Blake replied with a subtle wink. I bet we'll have some fireworks before the night is over, she thought to herself, and not the literal kind. Before she could get too comfortable, however, she spotted her father coming out of the kitchen. He nodded at her, warning her that he was now ready to set the plan in motion.

* * *

"Holly, over here!"

Holly turned to find Vanessa, Reva and Maureen sitting a few feet away from her, on the steps leading up to the pool.

"Listen," the dark-haired Vanessa begun, "I want to apologize again for before. I really thought that Ross and I were alone."

Holly sat beside the three women and grinned. "Don't mention it; I'm not that easily shocked."

"Good! By the way, who was that dashing man you were talking with when we came in the kitchen?"

"Oh, that's Roger. Roger Thorpe," Holly answered in what she hoped was an even voice.

They all looked at her with renewed interest.

"So that's Roger Thorpe! I wondered what he looked like," Maureen said, taking a sip of her beer.

"You mean the one with the graying hair and the black shirt?" Reva asked. When Holly nodded, she added: "Very handsome. You could do a lot worse."

Holly blushed. She knew that the disclosure of the existence of her daughter had created quite a stir in Springfield, but she hadn't realized that her relationship with Roger would also be an object of scrutiny.

"We're not together, Roger and I. He's married, actually."

Vanessa frowned. "He is? I know it's silly, but I'm feeling a bit disappointed! The whole story was so romantic, bumping into your first love again, and getting your child back into your life." She tapped her feet on the ground. "Are you SURE that he's married?"

They all laughed, even Holly, grateful that Vanessa would try to cheer her up. "Very sure."

"That's too bad," Maureen said.

"Here, have a beer," Reva added, getting her a cold one from the cooler. "Who knows how things might turn up, though? Marriages don't last forever." She caught Maureen staring at her, looking slightly offended. "What? When they're not meant to be, they don't. Bud and I will stay together always, but that's another matter," she concluded with her signature husky laugh.

Maureen was about to add something before she was interrupted by Jessica, Ethan and Blake, who gathered around Holly.

"We're thinking of going to Monroe's Cliff to watch the fireworks. Do you want to come with us?" Ethan asked his mother.

"Leaving already?" Maureen inquired, looking disappointed.

"We'll be back in no time. We can see them so much better from there, and we want Blake to enjoy them as much as possible," Jessica explained.

"What about your father? Is he going too?" Reva asked, knowing that Holly probably didn't dare ask the question and not being bothered by such scruples.

"The last time I saw him, he was wooing Philip Spaulding in the kitchen. I think he's in business development mode, better not disturb him. Besides, we'll be back before he even has a chance to miss us," Blake said, grabbing her mother by the hand and helping her up.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, with Ethan at the wheel, the four of them were well on their way to Monroe's cliff. Holly glanced at her daughter in the rear view mirror and said: "Did you make any friends tonight?"

"I talked to a few people, yes. I'll guess I'll have more of a chance to know people better when I get back to the party," Blake answered while Ethan snickered.

"Why are you laughing?" Holly said, turning to her son.

"I don' think that Blake will ever have problems making friends. I think that she might end up with too many, if you ask me."

"No one is asking you. Just drive." Blake replied punching him lightly in the shoulder.

Holly looked by the window and suddenly tapped Ethan on the arm. "Honey, you missed the turn to go to Monroe's Cliff. Go make a U-Turn somewhere."

Jessica, who had been silent until then, said in her most innocent voice. "We thought it might be nice to show Laurel Falls to Blake as well, since it's just a short drive away. We're just in time to watch the sunset."

Holly paled. She hadn't set foot in Laurel Falls since the night when she and Roger had made love for the first and only time, and she wondered if she would be able to handle returning to the place.

"We'll park by the lake down the river, and then it's just a five-minute walk to the falls," Ethan added. "Here we are."

"I'll stay in the car, you guys go ahead," Holly said, not trusting her legs to carry her.

The three young people glanced at each other. "Come on, Mom, you have to be there when Blake sees this place!" Ethan finally said nervously. Holly glanced at her daughter who also looked at her expectantly, having no idea that they were heading to the very place where she had been conceived.

"Yes, Holly. Please come."

Holly saw that they wouldn't let it rest until she joined them, so she go out of the car and fell in line behind them, closing the march. The rumble of the falls could be heard faintly from where they were, and they all walked through the woods in silence for a couple of minutes, watching their steps. They finally came up to the clearing by the lake, and when Holly lifted her head, feeling a fresh breeze on her face, she gasped in shock.

By the lake stood a huge weeping willow, whose branches had been adorned by strings of fairy white lights. Underneath were a thick blanket, a picnic basket, and Roger, who stood up as he saw them come near.

"What's this?" Holly said, unsure if she was dreaming or not.

"It's a surprise!" Blake said. She looked at Jessica and Ethan, and the three of them rapidly started to backtrack to the car. "Wait, where do you think you're going?" Holly cried, starting to panic.

The three broke into a jog, Ethan turning his head briefly to shout over his shoulder: "Sorry Mom, they made me do it!" They all dove back into the car where Holly could actually see them high-fiving, before they drove away.

She stared at the disappearing car, her chest rising unevenly. Then when she couldn't ignore him any longer, she turned to face Roger.

"Alone at last," he simply said.


	22. By the Weeping Willow

Holly took a few paces toward Roger, taking in the stunning setting lying before her eyes. The sun had finally set, while east the moon was majestically rising, full and silvery, over the top of the darkening trees.

"Did you do all this?" she asked after a while, pointing at the lights hanging from the willow.

"Blake and Jessica took care of most of it this afternoon, and they packed the picnic basket too."

Holly smirked. "Then you did nothing?"

"I just stood in a corner, praying that you'd show up," he said self-mockingly.

"Well, I'm here."

"I did make sure to pack this, however," Roger said, rummaging through the basket and extracting a bottle of red wine. "The finest from my cellar. Would you care to join me for a glass?"

Holly took her time before answering, making seconds appear like hours to Roger. "Why not?" She finally replied. Roger adroitly uncorked the bottle and filled two glasses, handing her one afterward. They sat on the blanket and Roger took out the grapes, bread and cheese the girls had packed for them.

They could hear the distant rumble of the falls upstream from the lake and, even farther, the festive sounds of the fireworks being set off. "Happy Fourth," Roger said after a while, raising his glass.

"Happy Fourth to you too. Now, tell me why you went to all this trouble to bring me here, besides celebrating our national birthday, of course."

"Ah!" Roger exclaimed with a twinkle in his eyes, reaching for the basket again. He took out a bunch of papers which he handed to Holly.

Holly took the papers; her curiosity awakened, and squinted to read the fine print of the legal documents in the half-light. Her heart suddenly started to beat violently in her chest when she realized that she was holding Roger's divorce papers.

"What is this?" she asked nonetheless, wanting to be absolutely sure.

"Susan and I have signed the papers last night. The divorce should be finalized in the next few weeks," Roger answered, unable to hide the exhilaration in his voice.

"I don't understand," Holly stammered. "She was all over you when I last saw you at the Towers."

Roger chuckled. "That was just Susan being, well, herself. The whole purpose of her trip was to divorce me, and maybe take one last stab at my back. She met someone else and is now very eager to get rid of me."

"So you're free?"

"Just about. I brought the papers as proof in case you wouldn't believe me."

Holly looked at the documents one last time, then rose and slowly walked to the lake. Roger frowned, puzzled by her lack of reaction, and followed her to the shore. He found her gazing pensively at the water and stood beside her, suddenly unsure of what to say.

"You know what I haven't done in the longest time?" Holly finally asked, not taking her eyes off the lake.

"What?" Roger said, taking a sip of wine.

"Skinny-dipping."

Roger choked and coughed, barely holding on to his glass. "I'm sorry?"

Holly turned to him and repeated, articulating exaggeratingly: "Skinny-dipping. As in swimming naked. You're the one who introduced me to that practice, remember?"

Roger stared at her, his mouth slightly gaping. Sweet Lord in heaven, his mind screamed at him, say something. "Hum, yes, of course I remember."

"Turn around then, I'll go in first," Holly commanded. Roger obediently turned around and mumbled to himself "Do not peek, do NOT peek" when he heard the soft rustle of Holly's dress falling on the ground, then the splashes of water as she entered the lake.

"Okay, your turn now!" she cried from afar.

He turned back and spotted her a few feet from the shore, her naked shoulders just rising out of the water. She looked at him with a smirk on her face.

"Ah, come on now, Holly. Turn around!" Roger pleaded.

Holly snickered and obliged him. "Fine, but make it snappy."

Roger undressed at the speed of light, nearly loosing balance and falling on his face in the process. He took a few cautious steps in the lake and the water licked his feet, refreshing after the day's stifling heat. Without hesitating any further, he dived into the water. He surfaced a few feet away from her, wiping water away from his eyes. "Wow, this feels great!"

"I know. It's just not the same in a bathing suit, don't you think?" Holly said, laughter in her eyes. She twirled in the water, always keeping a safe distance between them.

Emotion rising and threatening to overwhelm him, Roger blurted out. "Telling you about my divorce is not the only reason why I brought you here."

Holly stopped and stood motionless except for the top of her chest, softly rising in and out of the water. "Why did you?" she asked in a low voice.

"I wanted to say how sorry I am about the things I said in San Francisco, about not being able to trust you again. That was foolish of me."

"But you meant those things, didn't you?"

Roger shook his head. "For about five minutes, yes, but I was still in shock over Blake. I spoke too soon; it's as simple and as dumb as that. It didn't take me too long, however, to realize that finding Blake was never meant to drive us apart, it was meant to bring us back together."

"Why didn't you come after me sooner then?"

"Because I was still married and at the time I saw no way out of that. I couldn't go after you while I was taken; you've always been pretty adamant about that."

"But now that you're about to be free again, you brought me here...to Laurel Falls."

"It all leads back to here, Holly. I want you back. The question is: do you still want me too?"

Instead of answering, Holly simply held her hand to Roger over the water. After a split second, he grabbed it and pulled her toward him. Their bodies collided under water in slow motion, making them both inhale sharply.

Holly wrapped her legs around his hips while he enclosed her waist in his arms, holding her tight against him, marveling at the softness of her skin. They gazed at each other before Holly leaned down to him and teased his bottom lip with hers. Roger, unable to wait any longer, ran his hands through her hair and pulled her into a deep kiss. Forget about your dreams, this is happening for real, his mind thought in a last flash of lucidity before their lips met again with renewed ardour.

"Let's get out of here," Holly whispered breathlessly after a while. "I want to feel the weight of your body on me." Roger reluctantly let her go and followed her out of the water, mesmerized by the sight of her rising out of the lake. Sensing his eyes on him, she turned and coloured self-consciously, before he took hold of her again and they collapsed on the blanket.

"I want you," Roger murmured urgently in her ear.

_I want you. _The words took Holly back twenty-three years ago, when she and Roger had been lying on this very shore, half-undressed, on a similar summer night. Roger had uttered exactly the same words then.

_I want you, too_, _she had replied in a trembling voice._

"_After tonight, everything is going to be different," he had said, undoing the last buttons of her dress._

"_We'll be together, forever," Holly had replied, slightly questioningly._

"_Forever."_

Holly's mind was yanked back to the present when Roger rolled over, pulling her on top of him. She put her hands on his chest for balance and straddled him, then slowly, very slowly lowered herself unto him. They stared into each other's eyes, and then Holly closed her eyes and arched her back, while Roger pushed his hips upward, thrusting deeply within her.

"Roger," she murmured.

"Holly," he simply said, grabbing her hands as the moon continued its relentless course over their heads.

* * *

An hour later, Roger was still lingering over Holly, prompted over his elbows so that his weigh wouldn't crush her. Sighing with contentment, he showered her face with kisses while she lazily ran her hands up and down his back. "I wish we could stay like this forever," he said, brushing his lips against her neck.

"I wish we could too, except that it's getting a little chilly out here," she replied with a smile. Roger rolled over on his back and reached for the other blanket sticking out of the picnic basket. "Where are my manners?" he joked before spreading it over them and pulling Holly tightly to his side.

They both gazed at the moon for a few seconds before Roger added: "It just seems like such a waste thought, all these years that we spent apart."

"I don't think that we should see it that way. Maybe life has granted us the biggest gift of all by keeping us apart until we were ready to be with each other."

Roger pondered over her words for a while, running a hand along one of her thighs. "You know, I think you might be on to something here. I used to be such an idiot that I might have ended up ruining things for us. Now, you get to be with a better Roger."

"And you get to be with a better Holly. I did a lot of growing up too during all these years." She stopped talking to kiss him on the lips and broke into giggles after a second, pushing away his hand that had wandered on one of her breast. "Let me finish! Don't you agree that I am wiser than I was before?"

Roger rolled back on top of her and playfully pinned her arms over her head. "Oh yeah, much wiser, not to mention sexier." He planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. "You're just perfect to me, Holly." They gazed into each other's eyes and grew serious. Never letting go of her eyes, Roger grabbed her thighs and wrapped her legs around him. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh of pleasure when she felt him inside of her again.

After a few seconds, however, she realized that Roger was staying still and she opened her eyes. She found him still staring at her.

"What is it, honey? Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong. I was just looking at you and thinking that I never want this to end."

Holly reached for his face and caressed his cheek. "It doesn't have to."

"I know. Will you marry me?"

Holly stared back in surprise. "What? You're asking me this NOW?" She tried to wiggle free of his grasp, but Roger held her firmly under him, trying not to laugh. "I'd get on my knees, but you see, my body is otherwise engaged. I'm afraid that I'm deadly serious though. Will you be my wife?"

Holly blushed furiously and he could actually feel her heart beat against his chest. "I won't move until I get an answer and believe me, I can be very patient!" he added for good measure.

"My, how persuasive you are. I hope you didn't learn this technique at the agency. You leave me no choice then."

"Really? What's it going to be?"

She raised her head and kissed him deeply, before whispering in his ear: "Yes, you fool."

Roger finally let go of her and rolled unto his back, shouting out his joy: "She said yes! Do you hear this, Laurel Falls?" He turned to her and brought her hand to his lips. "Are you sure?"

She pulled his face against hers and smiled. "I am. I would have ended up asking you myself. Now, this proposal is very nice and all, but weren't we in the middle of something before you interrupted us?"

Roger chuckled and pulled her to him. "I think we were," he murmured, and proceeded to make love to his future wife.


	23. Roses and Lilies

A few hours later, the two of them sat quietly inside Roger's car, in Holly's driveway.

"Do you think they're in there?" Roger asked, peering at the living room window.

"Blake, at least, yes. I can see the TV is still on."

"Better not come in, then," he replied, leaning in to still a kiss from Holly, his lips lingering on hers.

"This is nice," she whispered, smiling, "but you're definitely right, it's best if you go back to your place tonight. Also, I'd like us to wait before we tell the children about our wedding plans."

Roger pulled back, suddenly looking like a child who had been denied cake. "Why?"

"Well, for a number of reasons. First of all, I kind of like having a little secret to share with you; second of all, if they realized their master plan worked THAT well, we will never hear the end of it, and finally, I'd like to see if this thing that we have going on between us will really go the distance."

Roger frowned, pretending to be offended before laughing. "Fine, I'll go for the first two reasons, but the last one is complete bull."

Holly reached out to him and snuggled in his arms. "It's not and you know it. I'm just being cautious, that's all."

"I have a feeling that I will become extremely well acquainted with that cautious side of yours."

"Exactly, and it's all the more reason for us not to rush into things. You might discover that a lot of things about me turn you off."

Roger slowly started to caress her hair. "Impossible. In fact, I find that your caution really complements my…lack of caution. We're perfect for each other."

"Roger!"

"Alright! I will keep my mouth shut, but I insist that we get married within six months."

"A year."

"Nine months: final offer."

"Agreed, and remember, no ring for now."

"You are one low-maintenance fiancée, you know that? Come here," Roger said with a chuckle in his voice, trying to pull her over him so that she would straddle him. Her elbow banged against the wheel, making the car honk, and she pulled away from him before collapsing in giggles in her own seat. "Quit it! You're going to wake up the whole neighborhood."

"What is it, Holly? Still young enough to skinny-dip but too old for parking?"

"Something like that," she retorted, blowing him a kiss before getting out of the car.

"See you tomorrow, old woman!" Roger said as he pulled out of the driveway.

Holly stood on the threshold for a few seconds, revelling in Roger's last words. "See you tomorrow," she whispered.

* * *

She found Jessica and Blake pretending to watch the end of a black and white movie in the living room. Jessica grabbed the remote and muted the television as soon as Holly came in.

"Girls, it's three in the morning. You didn't have to wait up for me," Holly said in what she hoped was a casual voice.

The two young women promptly got up and joined her in her room where she had gone in the vain hope to evade the questions she knew would be coming.

Jessica was the first to open fire. "So, how did it go?"

Holly turned to her dresser, pretending to rummage through her drawers for a night gown. "It went well. Your father and I had a nice long talk."

Disappointment registered on Jessica's face, while Blake stared at her mother closely in silence.

"So you talked, huh?" she finally said. "That's nice."

Holly smiled; the spitting image of innocence. "It is; I'm certainly glad we sorted things out."

Blake slowly retreated to the door, bringing Jessica with her. Before leaving the room, she looked over her shoulder and added offhandedly: "By the way, there's a twig in your hair."

Holly turned crimson and immediately felt the back of her head to remove the tell-tale bit of wood, but finding none.

"Gotcha," Blake said, closing the door behind Jessica and her. Holly heard them both laugh all the way to the room they shared.

"Brats," she muttered to herself.

* * *

The next morning, the three of them were standing around the kitchen counter, Jessica pouring coffee while Blake jokingly bragged about her conquests from the previous night.

"So, who are you going to choose, the dark and mysterious Alan-Michael, or the fair and charming Dylan?" Holly asked her daughter before taking a sip of black coffee.

"Who said anything about choosing?" Blake said with a twinkle in her eyes. Holly rolled her eyes but was prevented from lecturing her daughter by a loud knock at the door.

Blake headed for the door and opened it, but none of them could make out at first who was standing behind it, the person being partially hidden by a ridiculously big bouquet of long-stemmed red roses.

Jessica circled the bouquet and twitted excitedly: "Dad! These flowers are gorgeous! Holly, do you mind if I get a vase for them?"

"How about an Olympic pool, that might be able to accommodate them," Holly replied sarcastically, while looking at her fiancé with a raised eyebrow.

Roger delicately dropped the flowers on the table, and went to kiss each of them in turn on the cheek. When he approached Holly, she pinched lightly him on the arm and whispered in his ears: "So much for subtlety, Rog."

Roger grinned before addressing the three of them. "It had to be big; it's for all of you guys!"

"Thank you, Roger," Blake said, giving a quick hug. "How about some breakfast? Ethan is coming over later, also."

"I'd love to!"

"Great! You go and sit in the living room with Holly, and Jessica and I will whip up something delicious in a jiffy."

"You mean I'll try to keep you from actually touching the food while I cook," Jessica retorted to her sister.

"You are so quick, Jess!"

The two of them continued to banter while preparing breakfast. In the meantime, Roger lured Holly into the living room.

"You know the flowers are for you, right? Well, maybe a couple are for Blake and Jess, but the rest is for you," he said in a low voice.

"I figured it out. Yes, I am that smart."

Roger reached for her hand, looking at her earnestly. "Before you make any more fun of my bouquet, let me tell you this little story. Twenty-three years ago, I showed up at your father's house with a sad little bunch of flowers, and I always regretted not having brought you a bigger one."

Holly looked at him curiously. "I don't remember that!"

"Because that was the day that you left for Europe; I never did get the chance to give it to you. So, now that I have the chance, I will shower you with flowers as many times as I see fit, and you will humor me."

Holly stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes welling up. "I had no clue." She turned to stare at the roses, taking up half the space on the kitchen table. "And if you must know the truth; I love it."

"I love you."

"And I love you."

They both stared at each other before realizing that the room was now entirely silent. They turned at Jessica and Blake, who quickly resumed beating the eggs and frying the bacon.

Holly leaned to Roger and murmured laughingly: "We should go back. If I may add just one more thing though; I really prefer lilies."

"You know what? Forget what I said about you being low-maintenance. Tomorrow, you will get a bunch of white lilies so big; it won't fit in the house. That'll show you for teasing me."


	24. Toasts!

Red and golden candles were casting a warm glow over Holly's kitchen and living room, which Jessica and she had just finished decorating for Christmas. Garlands were hanging over the mantelpiece and a fire was burning cheerfully in the fireplace.

"Babe, give me a hand, will you?" Jessica said to Ethan while stretching in vain towards the ceiling, trying to hang mistletoe by the front door.

"Give me this," the young man said, putting down the bread basket on the table. He easily fastened the mistletoe to the ceiling, and then leaned over Jessica to steal a kiss, which quickly turned passionate.

"By all means, pretend we're not here," Holly said sarcastically from the kitchen. She bent in front of the oven and took out a huge turkey which she heaved on the cupboard. She wiped her forehead and started to inspect the bird carefully. Roger, who had been opening a bottle of red wine by the table, came to join her in the kitchen.

"Wow, it actually looks…good!" he said, peeking over her shoulder.

"And it smells terrific too!" Ethan added, equally bewildered.

Holly put her hands on her hips and scolded. "You don't have to look SO surprised, you know. I have been taking classes."

"I know, Honey, I just thought that you were beyond help, that's all," Roger said, taking a few steps back and laughing.

Holly approached him, waving a wooden spoon menacingly in front of his face. "Watch it or there will be no turkey for you!"

He disarmed her in one swift movement and planted a kiss on her forehead. "As long as I can share your bed tonight, I don't mind going hungry," he whispered. "You never needed classes for THAT."

Holly reddened and gently pushed him away after giving him a light kiss.

"When will she be here?" Jessica interrupted them, looking at the clock on the wall.

"Any minute now, sweetheart," her father replied. As if on cue, there was a knock at the door and Blake burst in, trying to hang on to all her gifts and suitcases. Ethan rushed in to unload her and give her a quick hug. "Hey you! Glad you could make it!"

Blake shook the snow from her long red locks and beamed at her family. "I missed you guys! Merry Christmas!"

For a few minutes, they all hugged and kissed next to the door, then Holly took her daughter's coat and they all proceeded to the living room for a pre-dinner drink. Blake sat between her parents, whereas Ethan and Jessica settled comfortably on the other couch.

"How was your flight?" Roger asked, looking at his eldest daughter.

"There was this annoying man trying to romance me, but I soon told him what was what. I'm glad to be able to come for a few days."

"I hope your family won't mind that you're spending Christmas here?" Holly said cautiously. She was still not totally at ease with the subject.

"They understand. Besides, the Turners always throw a huge party on New Year's, and I will see all my cousins and aunts and uncles there."

"Good, because we've been missing you like crazy here. I can't believe it's been three months since your last visit," Jessica said, shaking her blond hair. She didn't share Holly's scruples in wanting Blake to spend more time with them.

"Is Dylan coming by later?" Ethan inquired, taking a sip of his drink.

Blake smiled at the mention of her boyfriend. "He will, if it's ok with you, and then we'll go to the Lewises for a while." Following her first visit to Springfield, she and Dylan had kept in touch and, before she knew it, she had succumbed to the young man's rugged charm. He had visited her twice in San Francisco already, and was talking of another visit in the winter.

"I can't believe someone actually succeeded in getting their hooks into you," Ethan teased her.

Blake looked ruffled. "First of all, he didn't get his hooks into me; I let myself get caught, which is totally different. And I glad we met. He gets me, which is more that I can say from most of the idiots I ever dated."

"You mean he won't take any nonsense from you," Ethan replied, laughing and ducking before Blake could throw him a cushion.

"Alright, that's enough," Holly said. "Of course Dylan is welcomed tonight." Holly, for one, was very pleased that Blake had started seeing the Lewis heir. Despite his checkered past, she could tell that he was a sound young man, hard-working and with a mind of his own. Ethan was right; Blake would not be able to wound this one around her little finger. More importantly, he was settled in Springfield, which made it more likely that Blake would continue to visit often.

She glanced at Roger, which was absent-mindedly stroking her shoulder behind Blake's back. She knew that her fiancé was not thrilled by Blake's choice, given the fact that Dylan had spent some time in prison a few years ago. However, Roger had decided from the start not to mention his doubts to his daughter. Considering his own past, it would be like the pot calling the kettle black. Besides, it could be worse. She could have chosen Alan-Michael Spaulding, Roger thought with a shudder. He had taken an instant dislike to his father after meeting him for business, and had quickly decided that the whole family was just as arrogant and insufferable as he was. Holly, who rather liked Alexandra, was convinced that he was exaggerating, but Roger simply wouldn't change his mind. He could explain it, but his hatred was visceral.

Shaking his head, Roger decided to turn his mind to more pleasant thoughts and joined back the conversation just in time to hear Holly invite them all to the table for dinner.

They all sat and waited for her to come back with the humongous turkey, which she deposited proudly on the middle of the table, next to the centerpiece. "And if it's not good, we can always fall back on Jessica's apple pie," she deadpanned before sitting down.

Roger poured everybody some wine and raised his glass for the first toast of the evening.

"To the incredible year that has just passed. If someone had told me, even six months ago, that I would be sitting here with all of you, I wouldn't have believed it. So I want to thank life, or God, or whoever is up there, for finding you, Blake, and for meeting you Ethan, and for you, Jess, who's always been by my side." He turned to Holly before resuming, "and it's all because of you, all this joy and gratefulness that I'm feeling right now, so thank you, Holly. I love you all, and merry Christmas!"

* * *

"Well, Mom, your cooking classes sure have paid off; I feel as stuffed as the turkey," Blake said an hour later, pushing away the remnants of the apple pie.

Holly glanced at Roger who winked back at her. Over the last few weeks, Blake had slowly started using the words "Mom" and "Dad" when referring to them.

"I couldn't eat another bite," Jessica concurred, rubbing her stomach contentedly. She then glanced at her boyfriend hesitantly. Ethan gave her an encouraging look, and she cleared her throat before addressing her family.

"I have an announcement to make. I have very good news, and I wanted to wait for Blake to be here to tell you all. Ethan knows, of course."

"What is it?" Roger asked, trying to hide his sudden alarm. "You're not pregnant, are you?" he couldn't stop himself from asking before Holly nudged him in the ribs. "Really, Roger!" she said in as exasperated tone.

Jessica only laughed and shook her head. "No, and we're not getting married either, if that is your next question." She paused to gather her thoughts, and it was clear to everyone present that she was exhilarated by the news she was about to share with them.

"So you know that I have aced my last two semesters, right? So, I have been granted a full scholarship to study for the next semester…in Paris!"

Everyone except Ethan, who simply rubbed her shoulder proudly, exclaimed in surprise and delight.

After the surprise had subsided, Roger looked at her daughter with a false scowl. "You kept this from me, you little devil!"

"I wanted to wait until I knew if I was accepted or not before I told anyone."

"Well, this is great news. This will be a terrific experience for you!" Holly said, inviting everyone to raise their glass once again in honor of Jessica. "To your success!"

They all drank and then Blake turned to her brother. "What are you going to do while she's gone?"

"Well, apart from missing her terribly, I will keep on attending medical school in exotic Springfield. I also started volunteering at the hospital with the terminally ill, so that takes a lot of my time as well."

Blake looked at him with a new respect. "Really? I didn't know you did that!"

Ethan blushed, suddenly self-conscious. "And there's also my band. It'll give me time to practice more with the guys."

"Looks like you'll have your hands full while I'm gone," Jessica said with a smile, while secretly hoping that he would still miss her as much as he professed.

"I might juts have enough time to pop in Paris for Easter," he said, smiling at her. Hearing this, Roger and Holly glanced at each other, smiling, but said nothing.

"While we're making announcements," Blake suddenly said, biting her bottom lip, "I also have something to tell you!"

"Wait, you're not pregnant, are you?" Holly said, mimicking Roger, which made everyone laugh, including him.

"No! Not grandchildren for you yet, although I think that you will be pleased with this. If everything goes well with Dylan in the next few months, I'm planning on moving in Springfield!"

For the second time that evening, everyone cheered, and Jessica even welled up at the news. "This is so great!" she exclaimed, dabbing her eyes with her napkin.

"I didn't know that you guys were so serious already!" Ethan said, pleased by the news.

"We're not that serious yet, but we'll never get the chance if we don't live at least in the same state! And you're all here, so, why not? My aunt Katie, my mother's sister, said that I never looked this happy since my parents passed, and that happiness is meant to be pursued. I'll miss my family and my friends, of course, but we'll visit each other. I can always go back if it doesn't work out," Blake concluded, tossing her red hair behind her shoulders.

"You can come and live here, of course. You already have your room. Unless you'd rather rent something?" Holly suggested.

Blake smiled apologetically. "I was thinking about getting a place, yes. You don't mind, do you? I've had my own apartment for so long –"

Holly interrupted her daughter before she could apologize any further and put her hand over hers. "I understand perfectly, Blake! Just know that you'll always be welcomed here."

"I have an idea!" Ethan exclaimed loudly, making Jessica jump. "My dad is looking for a tenant for the apartment over the garage. It's a great place, very spacious, and the rent is very affordable. Why don't you come by tomorrow and take a look at the place?"

Blake shifted in her chair excitedly. "I will, but I won't be ready to move for a couple of months yet. Is it still going to be available?"

"I'm sure that Ed and Maureen would wait for you," Holly said, while Ethan nodded in agreement.

"What about your job?" Roger said, still afraid to believe that his daughter would actually come to stay in Springfield.

"I guess I'll have to quit. That's the only thing that really bothers me, because I love working for Apple, but then again I can work in a lot of other fields. It might be good for me to explore a little bit. Every major company needs public relations.

"I'm sure you'll be able to find something! What about BlueHorizon?" Jessica offered, looking at her father.

Blake shook her head, looking uncomfortable. "I wouldn't want to impose anything on you, Roger. I can find work on my own, in fact, I'd prefer it."

Roger smiled. "I've been following your work since last summer, and I tell you Blake, you're very good at what you do. BlueHorizon would be lucky to have you."

"See?" Jessica said to Blake, smirking.

"But, I'm afraid it might be impossible for me to guarantee you a job there," Roger added enigmatically.

"What do you mean?" Ethan inquired, his eyes going from Roger to her mother, who, he could tell, knew what was to follow.

She winked at him and silently went to the refrigerator, and came back with a bottle of pink champagne. Blake gazed at the label and let out a long whistle. "This must be huge!"

Roger got up and took Holly by the waist. "We do have an announcement of our own to make. Several announcements, in fact."

The three young people looked at each other, puzzled. "What is it?" Ethan finally asked.

Holly looked at her watch and then looked at Roger mischievously. "On second thought, I think that we should open the gifts first. What do you think?"

"Great idea!" Roger said, smirking.


	25. Epilogue

Gifts were never unwrapped as quickly as they were that night at Holly's house. As soon as they were done, Blake, Ethan and Jessica sat impatiently on the larger couch, waiting for Roger and Holly to finally break their news to them, surrounded by torn wrapping paper. Ethan strummed his new guitar, switching back and forth between two of his own songs, while Blake tried on her portable DVD player. On the far end of the sofa, Jessica skimmed through the complete works of Jane Austen, which Holly had offered her moments ago.

"What are they doing?" she said after a few minutes, shutting the book and putting it on the coffee table, where it landed with a loud thud.

"Probably rehearsing their big announcement," Blake shrugged, pointing at her mother's room where her parents had momentarily retreated. She was right; they had been discussing one last time about the best way to break their news to their children, and were also indulging in a quick make out session while they were out of sight.

"You don't think she's pregnant, do you?" Ethan asked back on the living room, half-joking.

Blake choked on her mouthful of wine, but Holly and Roger came back in before she could answer.

"The champagne is poured, the gifts are unwrapped; you can't delay any longer!" Jessica cried as soon as they sat on the couch.

"You're right. Holly, if you will allow me?" Roger said, turning to his fiancée.

"Go ahead."

He took her by the hand and turned to the others. "I have asked Holly to marry me, and I'm glad to say that she said yes."

"I knew it! I knew it!" Jessica shouted, jumping from the couch. Ethan rose to shake Roger's hand and to hug her mother while Blake burst into tears. Roger opened his arms and she nestled against him, holding Holly's hand and pulling her in their embrace. They remained like this for a second before breaking apart. Blake sniffed and wiped her tears. "I have been expecting something like this, but this is so much more emotional than I expected. I can't help crying!" she said before welling up again.

"She means we're really happy for you," Ethan added.

Jessica took hold of Holly's left hand and looked up at her future step-mother quizzically. "Where's the ring?" she inquired, always on the lookout for bling.

"There's no ring yet. We wanted to keep it a surprise," Holly explained.

"Have you set a date?"

Holly and Roger glanced at each other before Roger answered. "We had settled on Easter, so it looks like Jessica is the one who will have to come home from Paris. I hope you don't mind, Ethan."

"Unless you get married in Paris! I wouldn't mind making the trip." Blake suggested.

Holly tilted her head on the side, tempted by the idea, but only replied: "We'll see about that."

"So, when did you propose, Dad? Did you get down on one knee?" Jessica inquired.

"It was a little while ago," Roger replied vaguely. "And yes, I got down on one knee, give me some credit," he added, lying through his teeth, to the utmost enjoyment of Holly, who recalled every details of his proposal.

"Do you have your dress? How far are you on the arrangements? I can't believe I won't be there to help you with this!" Jessica fired before sitting back on the couch, looking dejected.

Holly laughed and ran a hand through her step-daughter's fair hair. "It won't be a big wedding, and no, I don't have my dress yet. We can call each other and discuss this wedding whenever you want. And you too, Blake."

Blake shook her head, leaning back against her father. "I leave that to Jess, she's the girlie one. I'd love to help you plan your honeymoon thought. I did a lot of travelling, backpacking of course, but still, I could recommend some places in Asia that are very romantic."

Holly and Roger exchanged a look which didn't go unnoticed by their daughter. "You ARE going on a honeymoon, aren't you?"

Roger raised his hands in the air to quell any more protests from his daughter. "Of course we are. Actually, this is what our second announcement was about. Holly and I have discussed it very thoroughly over the last few weeks, and we have opted for an extended honeymoon."

"Extended as in a whole year," Holly clarified, looking at them, anxious for their reaction.

They all opened their eyes wide, at a loss for words. As usual, Ethan was the first one to bounce back and to start asking questions. "What are you going to do during all this time?"

"Travel, mostly. We realize that a year is a long time away from you guys, especially now that Blake will be moving to Springfield…" Roger began.

"…but we really want to do this." Holly concluded. "Unless for some reason you guys are really against it."

The children looked at each other and smiled. "I think it's a great idea, but you better come by Paris and stay for a couple of weeks!" Jessica said.

"I won't lie and say that I didn't wish you would be here when I move in, but the last thing I want to do is to hold you back. You have to do this!" Blake added.

"Are you kidding? We're not going anywhere until you're settled in and I can see from my own eyes that this Lewis kid is treating you right. We have plenty of time," Roger said, squeezing his daughter's hand.

"And I'll be here, but I guess a little brother doesn't amount to much in your eyes," Ethan said to his sister, pretending to break into tears.

Blake made a face at him. "I'm glad you'll be here, and you know it." She turned to her parents. "What about your jobs?"

"Well, that brings us to our last announcement. I have taken a sabbatical from WSPR. Ross has agreed to it and Gilly will take my position while I'm gone. It will be a great opportunity for her, and we might lose her to a bigger station after that, but I'll be glad if she gets a chance to get ahead."

Blake nodded in approval and turned to her father. He cleared his throat before starting. "The implementation of BlueHorizon in Springfield is almost done, and so is my work here. However, I can't see myself living in New York again, because Holly's life is here, and all of you will be here as well. So, I decided to sell the business. It's done in fact; the contracts were signed a few days ago."

"What?" Blake said, bewildered.

"But Dad, you love your company!" Jessica added, equally puzzled.

"I do, but I love you more," Roger answered simply. "Also, to tell you the truth, I was getting a little too comfortable to my taste. Everything was going so well; there were no challenges anymore! I realized that what I love is the starting up part: getting the winning idea, finding the investors and getting the business off the ground. Now I will get to do that all over again when I get back from our honeymoon."

"What about your employees?" Ethan asked, ever the practical one.

Roger smiled, appreciative of Ethan's concern. "I'm glad you asked, since it was my main concern. None of the people will be laid off for at least a year; it's in the contract. Besides, I doubt that the new owners will need to part with a lot of people; skilled professionals are still relatively hard to find in this field."

"So that's why you couldn't offer Blake a job," Jessica said.

"Exactly, but she can always keep her current job if she wants to; I sold to Apple," Roger replied offhandedly.

Blake gasped. "What? Why didn't you say so sooner?" she said, a little bit angry at her father.

"Because it was much more fun this way, believe me," Roger answered, teasingly ruffling her hair.

"And you let him get away with things like that?" Blake said to Holly, pretending to be disgusted.

"That's his only flaw," Holly replied with a smirk.

"Yes, and you'll have to humour me, because now, I'm filthy rich," Roger added.

"You were rich before," Jessica said, amused.

"Ah, but not filthy. Don't you worry though; Holly is forcing me to donate a whole bunch of my new fortune to Cedars. She's always been the nice one."

There was a lull in the conversation as everyone pondered over the last news and the implications for each of their lives. After a while, Jessica yawned and stretched. "All these good news have exhausted me. I guess I will head back home."

"I'll drive you," Ethan offered.

"Dylan should be here any minute, but I'll just hop in the car and we'll go straight to the Lewises, I guess." Blake added.

"Are you deserting us already?" Roger asked, half-jokingly.

"Simply giving you some privacy," Blake retorted, putting her coat on. "We'll be back tomorrow; you won't get rid of us so easily!"

* * *

The fire was slowly dying in the fireplace, and Holly and Roger were sitting on the living room floor, leaning against each other and sipping the rest of the champagne.

"I think we'll have to squeeze in a trip back to Springfield during our honeymoon," Holly said.

"And we'll have to have Ethan and Blake fly to Paris while we're there. That should do the trick," Roger added.

"I hope so. I feel guilty for leaving them so long."

"Don't. Besides, Ed and Maureen will still be here, and more importantly, they're not kids anymore," Roger concluded, rubbing the small of her back.

Holly closed her eyes under his touch. "This was such a nice evening. It's the best Christmas I've had since… ever, I think."

"And it's not over; we haven't exchanged our gifts yet," Roger said, getting up to get his coat.

"Are you offering me your coat? Because you should know that grey is not my color," Holly said.

Roger sat back next to her and only ran his fingers over her eyelids so that she would close them. She obliged him, smiling. She had been hoping for it, expecting it, but still she felt a jolt of surprise when she felt the soft velvety square box against her palm.

"Open your eyes," she heard Roger say softly.

She found Roger on one knee, holding a golden ring, adorned with a fair-sized emerald, which was surrounded by three smaller ones.

"I think green suits you much better," he added, slipping it on her right hand.

"I agree," she said, leaning in for a long kiss.

"I'm the big emerald, and the kids are the three little ones."

"What does that make me?" Holly said, raising an eyebrow.

Roger didn't skip a beat. "You're the gold holding us all together, honey."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You just made that up, didn't you?"

Roger raised his hands in a cocky manner. "You got me; but it was pretty clever, don't you think? Besides, I mean every word of it."

"I bet you do. Your turn now. Close your eyes."

Roger obliged and soon felt a cold, round metallic object in his left hand. He opened his eyes and discovered a gold pocket watch resting in his palm. His initials were exquisitely engraved on the top. "Holly, this is beautiful!"

"I got this when we were in New York last month, before we went to that little Italian restaurant."

"When we danced until the waiters were wiping the floors!"

"Right. Open it," she said, suddenly serious again.

He slowly lifted the lid, expecting to find a portrait of her. Instead, he discovered a holly leaf, chiselled on the inside. "Well, who's clever now?" he murmured, half to himself. He raised his eyes to Holly and grinned. "You beat me at everything, and yet I can't get enough of it. Why is that?"

"Must be love."

"Yeah, must be love," he said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her to him. Their lips met, teasingly at first, until Roger's kiss became more urgent. He reached for the back of her dress and started unzipping it, while she worked on his shirt. He let go of her mouth just long enough to ask if they should head for the bedroom.

"I thought you'd never ask," Holly replied, getting up and leaving her dress on the floor.

* * *

They were lying in bed, hours later, and Holly was about to fall asleep when Roger suddenly turned to her.

"You never told me what happened to your engagement to that French engineer, that year after you left for Switzerland."

Holly yawned and turned on her side to face him. "You knew about that?"

"You father had made sure of it."

She scoffed. "I bet. Why on Earth would you think about this now?"

"I don't know. It just popped into my head."

"Not jealous, are you?" Holly replied, a smile playing on her lips.

"Of some French guy? Please!"

"You don't have to be, in any case. The engagement lasted for about two seconds. Paul was clever enough to realize that I was only doing it out of spite, and he let me go."

"That, or he saw you were pregnant and bolted."

"Very funny; I met him after I had Blake."

"Where is he now?"

"No idea, we lost touch immediately after that. I hope he found somebody; he really was a great guy." She nestled against Roger and yawned again. "Sweet dreams, Roger."

He pulled her tight against him and replied," Sweet dreams, Holly."

* * *

Across the Atlantic Ocean, the sun was rising on another bitter cold day in Moscow, but Paul Ardant wasn't aware of it. Lying in his windowless prison cell, he hardly knew day from night anymore, the guards made sure of that.

He got out of bed and stared blankly at the opposite wall, then buried his head in his hands, hoping against hope that somebody, anybody, would get him out of that hell hole.

The End! I hope you like this story in my little alternate universe. As you might suspect, I'm not ready to let go of Holly, Roger and all the rest just yet, and am planning a sequel. For those of you who watched in the fall of 1993, you might remember the pocket watch that Holly had offered Roger years earlier. I always loved the part about the engraved holly leaf, and I just had to include it! Let me know what you think!


End file.
